Wales thumped by France in Hockey World Cup qualifying

Wales' Hockey World Cup qualifying hopes hang by a thread after a 5-0 defeat by France in Santiago, Chile.

Victor Charlet opened the scoring for the French in the second quarter with a penalty stroke to take a 1-0 half-time lead.

Benjamin Marque scored with a powerful reverse stick shot past Toby Reynolds-Cotterill from a tight angle to double the French lead in the third quarter.

Charlet added his second goal four minutes later from a penalty corner to take a commanding lead into the final quarter.

Charlet completed his hat-trick with another penalty corner and Marque grabbed his second to compound Wales' misery.

Wales have one point after two games in their pool after a 2-2 draw with hosts Chile on Sunday.

Wales play their final pool game against 20th ranked Scotland on Wednesday (21:00 GMT) knowing they will need to win to have any chance of making it through to the semi-finals of qualifying.

Danny Newcombe's side are seeking World Cup qualification for just the second time in their history, having made their tournament debut in 2023 in India.

Scotland and Chile drew 2-2 in their game in Pool A on Tuesday.

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