Sultan of Johor Cup: Pakistan rout Argentina 4-1 with Dilber’s brace
Pakistan will play Argentina for the bronze medal again on Sunday.
Pakistan will play Argentina for the bronze medal again on Sunday. PHOTO: REUTERS/FILE
KARACHI:
Mohammad Dilber scored a first-half brace as the Pakistan U21 hockey team stormed to a 4-1 win over their Argentine counterparts in the third Sultan of Johor Cup being held in Johor Bahru, Malaysia.
However, both teams will clash again for a third-place play-off as Pakistan finished third with nine points from their five matches while Argentina ended in fourth place with just four points to their credit.
It was Pakistan who drew first blood courtesy of a successful conversion by Ahmed Shakeel Butt from a penalty corner in the sixth minute of the match.
The greenshirts continued with their efforts to attack and score as Dilber sent in a cross from the left which was converted into a goal by Arslan Qadir in the 14th minute, leaving Argentina goalkeeper Tomas Matias caught in no man’s land.
On the other hand, Argentina had their own share of chances including four penalty corners in a space of 10 minutes, but they failed to make them count.
The missed opportunities cost Argentina dearly as Pakistan once again struck on the half-hour mark when Dilber scored through a reverse flick. And just a minute later, he was again on the scoring sheet. Argentina did pull however pull one back on their opposition in the 47th minute as a consolation.
“The scoreline is flattering but I think Argentina did not go all out and neither did we,” said Pakistan coach Manzoorul Hassan. “We had set a podium finish target and hopefully we will achieve it. It’s been a valuable learning lesson for us and hopefully we will continue to improve.”
Published in The Express Tribune, September 29th, 2013.
Mohammad Dilber scored a first-half brace as the Pakistan U21 hockey team stormed to a 4-1 win over their Argentine counterparts in the third Sultan of Johor Cup being held in Johor Bahru, Malaysia.
However, both teams will clash again for a third-place play-off as Pakistan finished third with nine points from their five matches while Argentina ended in fourth place with just four points to their credit.
It was Pakistan who drew first blood courtesy of a successful conversion by Ahmed Shakeel Butt from a penalty corner in the sixth minute of the match.
The greenshirts continued with their efforts to attack and score as Dilber sent in a cross from the left which was converted into a goal by Arslan Qadir in the 14th minute, leaving Argentina goalkeeper Tomas Matias caught in no man’s land.
On the other hand, Argentina had their own share of chances including four penalty corners in a space of 10 minutes, but they failed to make them count.
The missed opportunities cost Argentina dearly as Pakistan once again struck on the half-hour mark when Dilber scored through a reverse flick. And just a minute later, he was again on the scoring sheet. Argentina did pull however pull one back on their opposition in the 47th minute as a consolation.
“The scoreline is flattering but I think Argentina did not go all out and neither did we,” said Pakistan coach Manzoorul Hassan. “We had set a podium finish target and hopefully we will achieve it. It’s been a valuable learning lesson for us and hopefully we will continue to improve.”
Published in The Express Tribune, September 29th, 2013.