KUALA LUMPUR, MARCH 4: Pakistan will be counting on penalty corner specialist Sohail Abbas to regain his touch tomorrow (Tuesday) and take Pakistan into the semifinals with a two-goal victory over Germany in a crunch clash of the 10th hockey World Cup.
Sohail, Pakistan’s best penalty corner executer ever, has missed no less than 10 short corners in his team’s last four games, pushing them into a tight corner in the race for a semifinal berth.
Pakistan manager Brig. Khalid Sajjad Khokhar and head coach Hanif Khan both admit that. “Our only worry right now is out-of-form Sohail”, according to Khokhar.
Sohail, rated world’s best penalty flicker alongwith Bram Lomans of Holland, was tipped to prove a trump card for Pakistan and all signs pointed that way when he slammed home two goals in each of Pakistan’s two opening games against South Africa and Belgium respectively.
Those four strikes took Sohail’s tally to 156 goals, making him the most prolific Pakistani goal-getter ever, ahead of Hassan Sardar who had 150 against his name.
Since the Belgian game, Sohail Abbas has struggled to find the target, much to the disappointment of his team. “If Sohail clicks against Germany, then we will certainly be in the semi finals”, emphasizes Pakistani coach, Hanif.
Having an inferior goal difference, the record four-times champions Pakistan must beat Germany by a margin of two goals to take their place in the last four of the World Cup, behind Netherland with 13 points and having an easy last game against outsiders South Africa in tough pool A of the competition.
Germany, the two-times Olympics champions but still seeking their maiden World Cup title, will need a draw to take them into the last four stage.
Germany held an impressive record in 2001 after finishing fifth in Sydney Olympics 2000 having won 34 matches and lost just twice against India and Holland once during this year.
The German captain Florian Kunz (141caps) and Michael Green (247 caps) are the tall figures in the defence-line of Germany who have finished in the last four of the previous nine editions of the World Cup but ended up runners up only once, behind Pakistan in the fifth edition at Mumbai (India) in 1982.
The only time the Germans missed out on a semifinal berth was the inaugural 1971 edition at Barcelona in 1971 when they took fifth position.
The Pakistanis, however, boast the record of walloping the Germans 5-1 in the semifinals of third edition in this same city in 1975.
Whatever the outcome, the Pakistan-Germany clash, starting at 5.35 a.m. (Pakistan time) Tuesday, is forecast to be a close affair unless Sohail finds his golden touch with his flicks.—APP