The Irish leg of the FIH Hockey Pro League concluded with heavily contested fighting. England and Belgium renewed their rivalry in the men’s competition as the England women defeated hosts Ireland in a hard-fought encounter in front of a passionate home crowd.
In Argentina, Los Leones produced a dominant performance against Pakistan to underline their growing confidence this season, while the women’s encounter between Argentina and the Netherlands was ultimately decided by weather, with safety concerns forcing the cancellation of the final match of the series.
(Men) England 2 – 3 Belgium
A 3–2 win for Belgium over England avenged their previous penalty shootout loss against the same opponents, in a match that saw Victor Wegnez celebrate his 200th cap.
Belgium enjoyed significant possession and territorial advantage in the first quarter, with Thomas Crols firing a half-chance shot wide and Thibeau Stockbroekx seeing his deflection brilliantly cleared by Oliver Payne. However, England took the lead after a rare attack in the 10th minute when Nicholas Parks reacted quickest to a blocked shot and smashed home the loose ball. They had a good chance at the horn, but pushed the shot wide. The Belgians continued to apply pressure throughout the second quarter and it eventually paid off with drag flicks from Alexander Hendrickx and Tom Boon putting them into a 2–1 lead by half-time.
Will Calnan leveled the score for England with a tap-in in the 34th minute, the ball floating to him in the open space at the left post after Loic van Doren had saved the first shot. Six minutes later, Boon received a long pass through the center of the pitch and Payne did well to get off his line and stop the first shot. But the ball fell straight back to Boon, who turned it neatly over Payne’s head to restore Belgium’s lead. They then controlled the final quarter, with most of the play taking place in the middle third of the pitch, and the English had to withdraw their goalkeeper to chase a result. They gave themselves a chance from a penalty corner with just seven seconds left on the clock, but the shot went wide to end the Irish leg of the men’s competition.
The player of the match was awarded to Belgian Tom Boon, who said: “We really came here to win. England made it quite difficult for us. The battle was at a high level, especially physically, but in the end we managed to win. I think it was important for us to end this year on a very good note.”
(Women) Ireland 1 – 2 England
England brought down the curtain on the Irish leg of the FIH Hockey Pro League with a 2-1 win over an Irish team that fought for absolutely everything on an afternoon when Kathryn Mullan celebrated her 250th cap for Ireland in front of a raucous home crowd
Holly Micklem had plenty of work to do in front of the Irish goal as England came out firing in the first quarter. Tessa Howard gave the English the lead in the 4th minute, stretched in front of the defenders and hit her first strike into the roof of the net. Ireland controlled possession and territory for a long period midway through the half, but posed no real threat to the circle. England, on the other hand, looked dangerous on the ball and could easily have been more than 1-0 up at the break.
The English regained dominance in the third quarter by controlling the pace of the game with patient passing and long periods of possession. Ireland managed to keep them out until the 50th minute, when Holy Hunt finally found the net with a reverse stick shot that went in off the post. The goal seemed to spur the Irish into action and they pulled one back in the 53rd, with Caoimhe Perdue finding the target with a drag move for her first international goal. Ireland sacrificed their goalkeeper to have a full crack with five minutes to go, and almost immediately England broke off a wide circle entry. It was frantic end-to-end hockey at the death, but although Ireland closed the match with an attack on the circle, they could not create another chance for an equaliser.
England’s Katie Curtis was named player of the match and said: “We’re eager to get three points, I think the atmosphere in the camp really needed it. It was a fight at the end. I think we played well in the first half, maybe the first three, and then it became a bit of a fight in the last quarter.”
(Men) Argentina 5 – 1 Pakistan
Argentina recorded an impressive 5-1 win over Pakistan, combining penalty corner efficiency with sharp aerial play to take control early and never look back.
Nicolas della Torre opened the scoring with a powerful drag from the penalty corner that went in via Pakistani defender Muhammad Abdullah. Los Leones looked good from the start, controlling the game through midfield and repeatedly stretching the Pakistani defensive line with long aerials. One of those aerials was brought down by Joaquín Toscani, who beat his defender before sending a bouncing ball through the circle for Bautista Capurro to deflect past goalkeeper Muneeb Ur-Rehman, giving Argentina a 2-0 lead after the first quarter.
Maico Casella played a key role in Argentina’s third goal. After bowling the first ball into the circle to create pressure, Pakistan turned possession while trying to clear. Casella was the next receiver, found space and delivered a brilliant pass across goal, allowing Capurro to tap in his second of the match.
Pakistan started the third quarter with renewed intent, fueled by a fine individual effort from Waheed Ashraf Rana. Rana drove through the Argentine circle and found space in his backspace before hitting a shot high into the net to reduce the deficit. Argentina responded with their fourth when Tadeo Marcucci sent a precision pass to spring Tomas Domene. Domene’s backhand resulted in a rebound, to which Tobias Martins reacted quickly and finished neatly. Domene then capped off a strong performance by earning a penalty corner and converting with a low drag move to make it 5-1. A scoreless final quarter followed as Argentina saw out the match comfortably and convincingly celebrated three points.
After the match, Argentina’s Tomas Domene was named Player of the Match for the second night in a row. He said: “It was a very important win because knowing if we can play with ease and connect as a team will give us some chances. Today we showed that and so we are happy with the result tonight and this week. We are happy with where the team is as we build towards the World Cup.”
(Women) Argentina versus Netherlands
The last match of the series between Argentina and the Netherlands was canceled due to severe weather conditions. Although both teams had completed their warm-up, they were sent off the field after warnings of thunder and lightning. After more than an hour of waiting, it was decided in consultation with the FIH and the Technical Director to cancel the match in the interests of player and official safety.
Current hero top scorers:
Women – Stephanie Vanden Borre (BEL), Charlotte Englebert (BEL) Yibbi Jansen (NED) (3 goals)
Gentlemen –Alexander Hendrickx (BEL), Tom Boon (BEL), Tomas Domene (ARG) (4 goals)
To see the current standings in the FIH Hockey Pro League, click here.
FIH Hockey Pro League – December 14, 2025
Sports Ireland Campus (IRE)
Gentlemen
Result: Match 11 (M)
England 2 – 3 Belgium
Player of the match: Tom Boon (BEL)
Referees: Hyosik You (KOR), Lukasz Zwierzchowski (POL), Jonas van’T Hek (NED video)
Women
Result: Match 11 (W)
Ireland 1 – 2 England
Player of the match: Katie Curtis (NL)
Referees: Sandra Adell (ESP), Gemma Calderon (ESP), Hyosik You (KOR video)
Santiago del Estero Hockey Club, Argentina (ARG)
Gentlemen
Result: Match 12 (M)
Argentina 5 – 1 Pakistan
Player of the match: Tomas Domene (ARG)
Referees: Michael Dutrieux (BEL), Jonathan von Hoesslin (RSA), Sean Rapaport (RSA video)
Women
Result: Match 12 (W)
Argentina vs Netherlands
Match canceled due to bad weather
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