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England Women have reached the Commonwealth Games hockey final after a thrilling penalty shoot-out semi-final victory over defending champions New Zealand.
Goalkeeper Maddie Hinch was once again England’s penalty shootout hero, saving all four of New Zealand’s attempts.
Isabelle Petter and Hannah Martin both scored for the home side to win 2-0 after the match finished 0-0.
England will face either Australia or India as they seek a first Commonwealth title.
Australia and India will play their semi-final later on Friday, with the final at 15:00 BST on Sunday.
It was a frantic opening befitting a semi-final, with chances galore for both sides and Hinch’s sharp goalkeeping keeping a clean sheet for England.
Things slowed down for both teams in the second quarter, before England’s Sophie Hamilton spiced things up with a quick ball across the face of goal.
But none of England’s players could convert and the score remained 0-0 at half-time.
New Zealand looked more dominant as the second half began and the excitement grew in a final 10 minutes.
Neither team could find a way to pass, meaning each had five chances to score from the 23-yard line on punts.
With the crowd already in full voice, Hinch showed off the athletic and attacking goalkeeping that helped her win Olympic gold with Great Britain in 2016.
England’s Petter finally broke the deadlock and Martin’s shot slowly crossed the line before the home side ran off to celebrate, jumping up and down in gleeful chatter.
Earlier on Friday, Wales Women finished eighth after losing 1-0 to South Africa in their seventh-place match.
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