BHUBANESWAR: England reached the semi-finals of the Hockey World Cup in India with a thrilling 3-2 victory over Argentina at Kalinga Stadium here on Wednesday. Gonzalo Peillat gave Argentina the lead from a penalty corner before Barry Middleton fired in to equalise. The influential Middleton then provided the aerial ball to set up Will Calnan put England in front. Peillat levelled from another penalty corner but, almost immediately, Harry Martin struck the winner against the reigning Olympic champions. England are in their third World Cup semi-final in a row and will now play play Germany or Belgium in the last four on Saturday. They had shaded possession with 53 percent of the game, while they had eight shots compared to six from Argentina. Liam Ansell was key to the win as he assisted England’s opening goal and hit the post late on after a storming run. He was given the man of the match and said: “I’m ecstatic. “We knew that would be a tough match. They have got arguably the number one corner threat so stopping them was crucial. “But we knew if we waited for our opportunities, stopped them from getting on the front foot and blocked their corners we’d have a good chance. “We just put in a stellar performance. As a squad we have got a few young guys who have shone this tournament. We’re really positive as a squad and really looking forward to the next round.” Published in Daily Times, December 13th 2018.