Forward Mustapha Cassiem netted two of his team's three goals against France on Friday to earn South Africa's first victory at the FIH Hockey World Cup in Belgium and the Netherlands.
South Africa's men finally claimed their first victory of the FIH Hockey World Cup on Friday, while the women's team also registered a tournament milestone by earning their first point in the 9th–16th classification phase.
The men followed Thursday's impressive 2–2 draw against three-time champions Australia with a composed 3–1 victory over France in Wavre, Belgium, with the Cassiem brothers both finding the net.
Mustapha Cassiem was the star of the first half, scoring twice in the space of three minutes to put South Africa firmly in control. The forward, who scored both goals against Australia, opened the scoring in the 17th minute before doubling the advantage in the 19th, giving the African champions a 2–0 lead.
France captain Victor Charlet pulled one back on the stroke of half-time, but South Africa refused to allow the setback to disrupt their momentum. They remained disciplined through the second half, defending strongly while continuing to threaten going forward.
