Sailing into the semis: Pakistan win by double the Dutch’s score

Greenshirts achieve redemption by registering 4-2 victory in Champions Trophy, will face India in last four

KARACHI: Pakistan surprised Pool B winners Netherlands with a 4-2 win, as some perfectly executed counter-punching saw the Greenshirts put the memories of a poor group stage firmly behind to win their Hero Hockey Champions Trophy quarter-final in Bhubaneswar, India.

Earlier in the game, it was the Netherlands who got off to a flying start with Jeroen Hertzberger powering home from mid-circle to score in the sixth minute. Muhammad Umar Bhutta equalised with a spectacular field goal in the 16th minute to give confidence to the team.

Muhammad Rizwan Sr then drew a brilliant save from Jaap Stockman, but 2-1 arrived a minute before the break when captain Muhammad Imran fired low past the Dutch goalkeeper in the 30th minute through a penalty corner.

 

The Dutch team had more control after the big break and got their reward 38 minutes in when Constantijn Jonker equalised. But Pakistan still had an ace up their sleeve and, from their most sustained spell of pressure, went ahead for a second time from a clever corner move, laying the ball into the path of Muhammad Irfan to flick high into the net in the 51st minute.

Right in the next minute, the Netherlands gave a corner of their own which Pakistan utilised to win another set piece with Irfan applying the killer touch in the 52nd minute to win the game.

Imran, who received the man-of-the-match award for his brilliant performance, said it was a lucky day for Pakistan, who had finished bottom of Pool A. “Holland have been the best team until now in the tournament and were the toppers of their pool,” Imran told The Express Tribune from India.

“We did not miss any chances today and the young players in our team displayed fabulous precision. After losing all the pool matches, striking back in the quarter-final has given the team a much-needed boost and is a good sign for us.”

‘We played the Asian way’

Head coach Shahnaz Sheikh revealed that the team changed its game plan for the last-eight match.

“We went back to Asian style hockey, which means classical play,” said Sheikh. “Now we will study the game play of our semi-final opponents in order to put forward a similar performance in the next round.”

Meanwhile, former Olympians and Pakistan Hockey Federation (PHF) management hailed Pakistan’s victory and hoped the win will convince the government to come forward and support the national game.

PHF Secretary Rana Mujahid said the win against the Dutch had not only increased the players’ confidence but also raised hopes that hockey was on the road to progress.

“The players played for their country ignoring all negative thoughts, for which they deserved a big applaud,” he added.

In other matches, Australia defeated Argentina 4-2 in their quarter-final and will face Germany in the semi-finals, while India defeated Belgium with a similar scoreline in their last-eight match.

 

 

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