The Hindu : Sport / Hockey : Battling Pakistan holds New Zealand

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Wednesday, Jun 21, 2006

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Sport - Hockey

Battling Pakistan holds New Zealand

S. Thyagarajan

KUALA LUMPUR: Imran Warsi's goal in the dying minutes helped Pakistan draw parity with New Zealand in a nerve-wracking Pool B match of the Azlan Shah hockey tournament here on Tuesday. No other verdict would have been appropriate as neither team deserved to lose.

After the 3-3 draw, New Zealand and Pakistan have four points each with a match remaining, followed closely by the Netherlands, which outsmarted Argentina 4-1 thanks to a second-half blitz led by Teun di Nooijer.

New Zealand's dominance resulted from the admirable work in midfield by Ryan Archbald and Blair Hopping. On the wings, Bevan Hari and Mitesh Patel bemused the Pakistanis to no end.

An early goal by Hayden Shaw from a penalty corner was neutralised by Muhammad Imran in similar fashion. In the second half, the Kiwis started strongly. Shea Mcaleese put the team ahead from another penalty corner. But, Pakistan soon got a penalty stroke after Scoot Falconer obstructed Shakeel Abbasi and Mohammad Saqlain made no mistake from the spot.

When Ben Colliers provided the finishing touches to a splendid workout by Mcaleese, Gereth Brookes and Hari, the Kiwis were really on top. But the joy proved to be shortlived as Warsi slotted in Pakistan's third goal with only 30 seconds left for the hooter.

Holland bounces back

In another encounter, di Nooijer's classic touches brought the Dutch team to life after an unimpressive first half against Argentina. The ageing warhorse underlined why he is seen as one of the best players in contemporary hockey, with a superb display.

After Mathias Vila gave Argentina the lead in the first half, the Dutch frontline haplessly looked up to the seasoned warrior to script a comeback. And he duly obliged in style as he always does. Only a couple of misses by Rob Reckers and Rogier Hofman took the gloss out of a fine performance.

The second half witnessed the Dutch gathering their wits and settling down to an eye-catching rhythm. Di Nooijer galvanised the frontline into a state of vibrancy, prompting Reckers and Roderick Weusthof to work in tandem with Delmee playing the role of a sheet anchor in midfield.

The equaliser by Reckers set the tone for a Dutch recovery. Di Nooijer set up a splendid pass for Hofman for the second goal, and slotted one himself after moving through the defence with the grace of a ballet dancer.

Di Nooijer's next move saw Floris Evers obstructed by Argentina's goalkeeper Mariano Rodolfo. But, Geert-Jan Derikx squandered the penalty stroke with a weak push.

In the dying minutes, Holland managed to extend its lead after Ronald Brouwer slotted home.

The results:

Pool B: The Netherlands 4 (Rob Reckers, Rogier Hofman, Teun di Nooijer, Ronald Brouwer) bt Argentina 1 (Mathias Vila); New Zealand 3 (Hayden Shaw, Shea Mcaleese, Gereth Brookes) drew with Pakistan 3 (Imran Warsi 2, Mohammad Saqlain).

Wednesday's matches: India vs. Korea (12:30 p.m.); Australia vs. Malaysia (2:30 p.m.).

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