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| September 16, 2006 | Saturday | Sha'aban 22, 1427 |
Pakistan, England score wins; meet in fifth place play-off
MONCHENGLADBACH (Germany) Sept 15: England and Pakistan won through to the playoff for fifth and sixth positions at the World Cup hockey on Friday.
England defeated New Zealand 4-3 and Pakistan edged past the Netherlands 3-2.
Pakistan jumped out to a 2-0 lead in the first half through penalty corner flicks by Sohail Abbas, one deflected in by Shakeel Abbasi, and took that lead into the break.
Muhammad Zubair scored Pakistan's third with a strike from wide on the left of the circle which rattled inside the opposite post 32 seconds after the break.
The Netherlands came back to 3-2 with a field goal to Rob Reckers and a penalty corner conversion by Taeke Taekema high into the right of goal.
Jeroen Delmee, Rob Reckers and Karel Klaver wasted shots over the top of goal in the middle of the second half.
Taekema had a chance to level the score with a penalty corner with 15 seconds on the clock.
Nasir Ahmad, playing his first match of the championship, saved Taekema's flick and the rebound in Pakistan's goal as the clock wound down.
A resigned Roelant Oltmans, Netherlands coach, said: “The first half we did not play hockey and in the second half we missed too many chances.
“This is a tournament where it just did not work for us and we just have to accept it and see what we can do about it in the future.”
“Beating Holland is very special for me,” said Shahnaz Sheikh, Pakistan's coach.
“I told the team we could beat Holland because their team believed they were the favourites but could not reach the semi-finals. So I could tell my team Holland was depressed, and that is the way they played,” Sheikh said.
New Zealand scored twice in the first half through two low penalty corner flicks by Hayden Shaw, one deflected in by Ryan Archibald.
In the last minute of the first-half Simon Mantell took a rebound off Kyle Pontifex's pads from a Ben Hawes penalty corner flick to put England on the scoreboard and back in the match at 2-1 going into the break.
Glenn Kirkham scored with a diving backstick flick in front of goal for England's equaliser 11 minutes into the second half.
Simon Child drove in a backstick shot from the top of the circle for New Zealand to lead 3-2 after 51 minutes but England's equaliser came through a second for Mantell, set up again by Alexander's shot from the right.
James Tindall scored England's winner in the last minute from a variation penalty corner.—AFP
Australia in final
Olympic champions Australia repulsed a plucky challenge from South Korea to win 4-2 in the first semi-final of the World Cup hockey on Friday.
After a cautious start from both teams, the speedy Koreans took the lead shortly before halftime, Jong Hyun Jang flicking the ball high and powerfully into the net at a penalty corner.
The game came alive at the start of the second half, with Australia levelling through captain Bevan George and South Korea then restoring their advantage with a fine solo effort from Seong Jung Kang.
Australia's Travis Brooks slid home an equaliser after a well-worked corner and then Jamie Dwyer sneaked in at the back post to make it 3-2 with 10 minutes left. Michael McCann added another with just seconds on the clock for 4-2. In the final, Australia will play either world champions Germany or European champions Spain, who play later on Friday.—Reuters
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