Wales Battle to Draw with Chile in Hockey World Cup Qualifying
Daniel Kyriakides earned his 150th international cap against Chile, having represented Wales 139 times and Great Britain 11 times.
Wales came from behind to secure a 2-2 draw with Chile in their opening match of the Hockey World Cup qualifying tournament.
Nic Morgan gave Wales an early lead within four minutes, scoring in a contentious manner following a precise pass from co-captain Jacob Draper. The hosts challenged the decision, but the television match official upheld umpire Tyler Klenk's call.
Chile responded with a goal from Raimundo Valenzuela, who scored via a smart deflection to equalize. They then took the lead before halftime through a counterattack goal by Agustin Valenzuela.
At the start of the fourth quarter, Gareth Furlong converted a penalty stroke to level the score for Wales.
In the final minute, Furlong had an opportunity to clinch the win from a penalty corner, but Chile's goalkeeper Adrian Henriquez produced an excellent save to deny him.
This match marked a milestone for defender Daniel Kyriakides, who earned his 150th cap across his international career.
Under coach Danny Newcombe, Wales are aiming to qualify for the Hockey World Cup for only the second time, having made their debut in the 2023 tournament held in India.
Wales will next face France, ranked ninth in the world, on Tuesday at 21:00 GMT, followed by their final pool match against Scotland, ranked 20th, on Wednesday at 21:00 GMT.
Scotland Upset France in Pool A
Earlier on Sunday, Scotland achieved a surprise 3-2 victory over France as they pursue their first-ever Hockey World Cup qualification.
France took an early advantage with a goal from Gaspard Xavier, and Victor Charlet extended their lead with a penalty stroke in the second quarter.
Scotland responded with Jamie Golden scoring from their first penalty corner of the match. His older brother Cameron Golden then equalized with a composed finish and later scored a second goal, smashing the ball home from a tight angle to give Scotland a 3-2 lead at halftime.
France attempted to mount a comeback in a goalless third quarter, forcing a smart save from Scotland goalkeeper Thomas Alexander and hitting the post through Etienne Tynevez.
Despite intense pressure in the fourth quarter, Scotland held firm to frustrate France. Etienne Tynevez struck the post again with 25 seconds remaining, but Scotland maintained their lead until the final whistle.
Other Matches and Qualification Details
In Pool B, Ireland began their qualification campaign strongly with a 5-2 victory over Canada, while Poland edged South Korea 3-2 in other matches held in Santiago.
To date, nine teams have qualified for the 2025 Hockey World Cup either by winning their respective continental championships or through the FIH Pro League, with the Netherlands and Belgium qualifying automatically as hosts.
The qualification process involves two tournaments, each featuring eight countries divided into two pools of four based on world rankings. The top three teams from each tournament qualify automatically, and the highest-ranked fourth-placed team across both events will also secure a World Cup berth.
In the other qualifying tournament taking place in Egypt, England secured a comfortable 5-0 win over Japan. Tom Sorsby and Henry Croft each scored twice, with Sam Ward adding another goal.
Additional victories were recorded by Malaysia, Pakistan, and Egypt in the Egyptian tournament.
