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| August 08, 2008 | Friday | Sha’aban 5, 1429 |
Imran’s twin strikes help Pakistan down Kiwis: Olympic hockey warm-up tie
BEIJING, Aug 7: Full-back Imran Warsi scored twice to help Pakistan team register a morale-boosting 2-0 victory over New Zealand in a warm-up game at Olympic Green Hockey Stadium on Thursday.
Karachi-based Warsi, who was rested in the opening game against Korea, scored once in each half of the match to raise the confidence of the green shirts on the eve of the Olympic Games.
Earlier, Pakistan suffered a blow on Wednesday when the Koreans outplayed them 4-0 in their first warm-up clash.
On Thursday, the Pakistanis produced a far better show to subdue the Kiwis even without their two key players — half-back Mohammad Saqlain and forward Waqas Sharif.
Though Pakistan scored only two goals in the match, yet they dominated the exchanges thanks to fine attacking game by their forward line comprising Waqas Akbar, Rehan Butt, Shakeel Abbasi, Abbas Haider and Mohammad Zubair.
Pakistan forced their first penalty corner in the 29th minute and a determined Imran wasted no time in converting it with a superb low drag-flick.
Soon afterwards, Shakeel, Rehan, Waqas Akbar combined well to create a number of threatening moves, putting the Kiwis on the defensive.
When the second half commenced, Pakistan kept New Zealand under pressure with their swift attacks and their efforts were rewarded in the 12th minute of the second session when they collected their fourth short corner. Imran banged the board with precision to make it 2-0 with another lethal-drag flick.
“I was disappointed with the loss against Korea. But today, the boys showed good spirit and determination to chalk out the much-needed victory,” Pakistan coach Naveed Alam told reporters. “Saqlain is alright and Waqas Sharif is also recovering steadily,” he said.
Naveed said Waqas’ ankle was swollen but expressed the hope that he would be back into action in the next couple of days. “He [Waqas Sharif] is our key player and we are anxious about his recovery,” he said.
The coach said his team was continuing with their physical workout in the Olympic Village and will have a couple of training sessions in the Olympic Green Stadium before launching their Olympic campaign against Great Britain on Aug 11.—APP
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