Champions Trophy: Pakistan lose third on the trot
Greenshirts will now have to face Pool B leaders Netherlands in the quarter-finals
KARACHI:
Pakistan were unable to find their scoring sticks against Kookaburas as they lost their final league match 3-0 to give four-time defending champions Australia their first win of the tournament yesterday. The Kangaroos claimed third position, while Pakistan finished last in Pool A at the Kalinga Stadium in Bhubaneswar, India.
Pakistan had the first major opening as Muhammad Arslan Qadir hit the outside of the goal, following some great piece of skill from Muhammad Dilber. However, Australia opened the scoring through Jeremy Hayward from a penalty corner rebound in the 23rd minute.
Simon Orchard was then denied a goal by a stunning Imran Butt save and Matt Gohdes could find no way past the defender on the line with the follow-up.
Butt also tipped a drag-flick over the bar to keep Pakistan in with a sniff going into the final quarter. There were chances for Pakistan to find an unlikely equaliser, but the match was over when Hayward flicked home his second with seven minutes remaining and Jacob Whetton completed the scoring with 90 seconds to go.
“I tried to keep the game going and made several saves, but in this format, the entire team has to play together in order to save or score goals, which was missing again,” said Butt. “We did our best and now will have to face a very strong team in the quarter-final.”
The keeper added that his side was unable to read the movement of the Australian players due to the lack of exposure the players have against European and Australian sides. “We would have won the match if we had played against European or Australian teams before.”
Other results
In the other matches of the day, Argentina defeated Germany 3-0 to claim second place in Pool B, while Germany finished bottom.
India claimed an unlikely 3-2 win over the Netherlands to leapfrog Germany into third.
Whereas, in the Pool A match, England drew their final fixture with Belgium 1-1 to lead the pool as Belgium finished second.
The quarter-finals
Pakistan will now face Netherlands, the top side from Pool B, while Pool B bottom side Germany will face Pool A leader England in the quarter-finals on December 11.
Argentina, second in Pool B, will lock horns against third-placed Pool A side Australia, while Belgium, second in Pool A, will face third-placed Pool B side India.
Correction: In an earlier version of this article, it was erroneously mentioned that India finished bottom in Pool B. The error is regretted.
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Pakistan were unable to find their scoring sticks against Kookaburas as they lost their final league match 3-0 to give four-time defending champions Australia their first win of the tournament yesterday. The Kangaroos claimed third position, while Pakistan finished last in Pool A at the Kalinga Stadium in Bhubaneswar, India.
Pakistan had the first major opening as Muhammad Arslan Qadir hit the outside of the goal, following some great piece of skill from Muhammad Dilber. However, Australia opened the scoring through Jeremy Hayward from a penalty corner rebound in the 23rd minute.
Simon Orchard was then denied a goal by a stunning Imran Butt save and Matt Gohdes could find no way past the defender on the line with the follow-up.
Butt also tipped a drag-flick over the bar to keep Pakistan in with a sniff going into the final quarter. There were chances for Pakistan to find an unlikely equaliser, but the match was over when Hayward flicked home his second with seven minutes remaining and Jacob Whetton completed the scoring with 90 seconds to go.
“I tried to keep the game going and made several saves, but in this format, the entire team has to play together in order to save or score goals, which was missing again,” said Butt. “We did our best and now will have to face a very strong team in the quarter-final.”
The keeper added that his side was unable to read the movement of the Australian players due to the lack of exposure the players have against European and Australian sides. “We would have won the match if we had played against European or Australian teams before.”
Other results
In the other matches of the day, Argentina defeated Germany 3-0 to claim second place in Pool B, while Germany finished bottom.
India claimed an unlikely 3-2 win over the Netherlands to leapfrog Germany into third.
Whereas, in the Pool A match, England drew their final fixture with Belgium 1-1 to lead the pool as Belgium finished second.
The quarter-finals
Pakistan will now face Netherlands, the top side from Pool B, while Pool B bottom side Germany will face Pool A leader England in the quarter-finals on December 11.
Argentina, second in Pool B, will lock horns against third-placed Pool A side Australia, while Belgium, second in Pool A, will face third-placed Pool B side India.
Correction: In an earlier version of this article, it was erroneously mentioned that India finished bottom in Pool B. The error is regretted.
Like Sports on Facebook, follow @ETribuneSports on Twitter to stay informed and join in the conversation.