News for 14 December 2014
All the news for Sunday 14 December 2014
Germany and Pakistan to meet in Champions Trophy final
Australia and India play off for the Bronze medal in Bhubaneswar
Pakistan celebrate scoring in the semi-final against India. (Photo: FIH / Koen Suyk)
Germany and Pakistan are the teams to play off in Sunday's final at the Hero Hockey Champions Trophy in Bhubaneswar. Host nation India will face world champions Australia in the Bronze medal match. Saturday's semi-finals saw the Olympic champions from Germany grabbing a narrow 3-2 victory against Australia with Pakistan winning 4-3 against India.
SF1: Germany v Australia 3-2 (0-2)
Germany ended Australia’s lengthy reign as Champions Trophy holders as they eliminated the Kookaburras in a thrilling semi-final tussle in Bhubaneswar.
The Aussies have held the title since 2008, winning five successive titles, while the Markus Weise’s had not won a medal since Melbourne in 2009 but they continue to grow as this tournament progresses. They built a 3-0 lead by the early stages of the second half and while Australia fought back, they had just enough in the tank to get over the line.
The Germans got off to a dream start with two goals in the first nine minutes. Timur Oruz got a lovely feathered touch to a diagonal pass from Lukas Windfeder. Mats Grambusch then extedned the lead when the ball bounced back to him after the Kookaburras struggled to clear their lines.
His powerful shot took a deflection off Fergus Kavanagh’s foot to give the Aussie goalkeeper Andrew Charter no chance of blocking the ball. Australia did have their moments with Jeremy Hayward shooting wide while Nicolas Jacobi got a brilliant diving stick out to deny Russell Ford a simple tap-in. It remained 2-0 until half-time thanks to a superb Moritz Fürste save on the post from a Chris Ciriello penalty corner flick – a block the German captain gleefully celebrated.
A minute after half-time, Germany were 3-0 up as Florian Fuchs picked up the pieces when Charter had denied Martin Zwicker at close quarters. Fuchs dodged away from the goalkeeper before unleashing a beautiful punch shot into the roof of the net from a narrow angle.
Australia duly launched their fightback and had a lifeline in the 34th minute when Ciriello dragged home his fourth goal of the competition. And they were right back in the mix when Nick Budgeon smashed home seven minutes later following a mad scramble in front of the German goal.
It set up a grandstand finish in which Australia piled forward in numbers but they could not take advantage from a corner and a number of goalmouth melees, leaving Germany to celebrate.
India v Pakistan 3-4 (1-1)
Pakistan grabbed a narrow 4-3 win over India to qualify for Sunday’s final of the Hero Hockey Champions Trophy in Bhubaneswar thanks to a late strike from Muhammad Arslan Qadir. India now play off for the Bronze medal against world champions Australia who lost their semi-final 3-2 to Germany.
Pakistan started in fast fashion, Muhammad Dilber drawing a fine save from PR Sreejesh while Muhammad Umar Bhutta’s effort slipped just past the post. But India replied in kind and went 1-0 up when Sardar Singh took a quick free from which Chandanda Thimmaiah to win the game’s opening penalty corner. Gurjinder Singh fired home low for 1-0. Pakistan used their video referral on this decision but the goal was confirmed by the video umpire which got the party started in the packed Kalinga Stadium.
Muhammad Rizwan Senior let slide another huge chance for Pakistan but they did get back on terms when Muhammad Arslan Qadir got a brilliant touch to Ammad Shakeel Butt ‘s cross to make it 1-1, ramping the ball into the roof of the net to silence the crowd.
The third quarter saw Qadir’s cross being tipped in by Muhammad Waqas to put Pakistan ahead 2-1 when both teams were reduced to ten players after yellow card suspensions. India failed to strike back a short moment later when VR Raghunath’s penalty corner attempts went wide but Dharamvir Singh did get them back level at 2-2 with a lovely finish after Akashdeep's great approach work.
Muhammad Irfan responded within a minute with his fourth goal of the tournament to make it 3-2 to Pakistan. But Thimmaiah brought the crowd back to live when he applied a lovely deflection to tie things up at 3-3 but Qadir sealed the victory with his goal 90 minutes before the final whistle to grab the result to huge exultation from the Pakistani side.
5-8 classification
Earlier, the 5-8 classification matches saw the Netherlands defeating Belgium 4-2 in a shoot-out competition. The Red Lions had come back from being 2-0 down, the equaliser was a last minute goal scored by Tom Boon. Afterwards Argentina secured their spot in the 5th place payoff match with a narrow 2-1 win over England thanks to a late Gonzalo Peillat strike. While the Netherlands and Argentina will play off for fifth place on Sunday, Belgium meet England in the 7th place playoff.
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FIH site
Pakistan to meet Germany in Champions Trophy final
Pakistan grabbed a narrow 4-3 win over India to qualify for Sunday’s final of the Hero Hockey Champions Trophy in Bhubaneswar thanks to a late strike from Muhammad Arslan Qadir. India now play off for the Bronze medal against world champions Australia who lost their semi-final 3-2 to Germany.
Pakistan started in fast fashion, Muhammad Dilber drawing a fine save from PR Sreejesh while Muhammad Umar Bhutta’s effort slipped just past the post. But India replied in kind and went 1-0 up when Sardar Singh took a quick free from which Chandanda Thimmaiah to win the game’s opening penalty corner. Gurjinder Singh fired home low for 1-0. Pakistan used their video referral on this decision but the goal was confirmed by the video umpire which got the party started in the packed Kalinga Stadium.
Muhammad Rizwan Senior let slide another huge chance for Pakistan but they did get back on terms when Muhammad Arslan Qadir got a brilliant touch to Ammad Shakeel Butt ‘s cross to make it 1-1, ramping the ball into the roof of the net to silence the crowd.
The third quarter saw Qadir’s cross being tipped in by Muhammad Waqas to put Pakistan ahead 2-1 when both teams were reduced to ten players after yellow card suspensions. India failed to strike back a short moment later when VR Raghunath’s penalty corner attempts went wide but Dharamvir Singh did get them back level at 2-2 with a lovely finish after Akashdeep's great approach work.
Muhammad Irfan responded within a minute with his fourth goal of the tournament to make it 3-2 to Pakistan. But Thimmaiah brought the crowd back to live when he applied a lovely deflection to tie things up at 3-3 but Qadir sealed the victory with his goal 90 minutes before the final whistle to grab the result to huge exultation from the Pakistani side.
Flash Quotes
Rashid Mehmood (PAK): It’s a great victory for us, beating India in India in a big game, a semi-final of the Champions Trophy. It’s not just a great victory for us but our country. The whole team played very well and we needed this victory for our future. We didn’t play in the World Cup and have missed out on top hockey. Now that we are back in top hockey, we are doing well.
You can see our youngsters like Qadir who was man of the match, scoring two goals, while just playing his fourth or fifth international, and doing really well.
Muhammad Irfan (PAK): We are very happy. I can’t explain how much this means. It was a team effort. The combinations in the first three matches of the juniors and senior players was not there but we are improving now.
Roelant Oltmans (IND coach): I thought in the first half, we didn’t play to the level we had shown earlier in the tournament. The second half was much better; we created a lot of opportunities but didn’t take them when we could have scored more. We still have to understand that if there is two minutes left, we at least bring it to a shoot-out and not concede. We have made mistakes that we made earlier in the tournament. On the positive side, we can play really good hockey but we have to learn how, in phases we are not playing to the top level, to close the game down.
Sheikh Shahnaz (PAK coach): The last when we reached the Champions Trophy finals was in 1998 where we played against the Netherlands and we lost that game and I was the coach of that team too. Today again, my team has reached the finals and it’s a proud moment. Germany was almost in the same condition in the pool phase as us and today we both are in the finals. The German team is very strong with its strategies and we are aware of it and will work on it accordingly.
#CT2014 #BestOfTheBest
FIH site
Arsalan scores brace in Pakistan’s 4-3 win over India
By Nabil Tahir 
Pakistan maintained their 100% record against India – never losing a Champions Trophy semi-final match – with their 4-3 win over their neighbours. PHOTO: AFP
KARACHI / BHUBANESWAR: Pakistan cruised into the final of the Hero Hockey Champions Trophy by edging past arch-rivals India 4-3 in a thrilling semi-final match at the Kalinga Stadium, Bhubaneswar in India on Saturday, maintaining their 100% record of never losing to India in the Champions Trophy.
Pakistan, who beat the Netherlands 4-2 in the quarter-final, were 1-0 down when Gurjinder Singh opened scoring with a well-converted penalty corner in the 12th minute of the first quarter.
Pakistan came back strong in the second quarter and equalised, courtesy of Muhammad Arsalan Qadir’s goal in the 17th minute.
Muhammad Waqas then put Pakistan ahead with a goal in the 32nd minute just after the half-time break.
Dharamvir Singh brought the Indians back in the game with an equaliser in the 38th minute; however, Pakistan’s Muhammad Irfan put them in lead with a 44th-minute goal.
Pakistan’s 3-2 lead was short-lived as Chandanda Thimmaiah scored in the 45th minute to bring India back on equal terms.
The match came down to the wire and in the 59th minute, Arsalan found himself in the penalty box and after making a swift turn chipped it over the keeper for the winner.
The Indian assault began to pressurise Pakistan in the final minute of the game, but the Greenshirts contained the hosts and were jubilant as the referee brought the game to an end.
Pakistan’s former player Qasim Zia, who had scored goals against India in the 1982 and 1986 Champions Trophy knock-out stages, was impressed by the young team’s performance.
“The young players played really well, I congratulate them and the nation for a long-awaited victory against a strong team and arch-rivals India,” said Zia. “The way they won was really thrilling. The match could not have been more exciting.”
Rehan Butt, who scored two goals in the 2002 Champions Trophy against India, added, “The match reminded me of the match we played back in 2002 when Mudassar Ali and I scored two goals each to defeat India.”
“I’m happy that Pakistan have maintained the record of not losing any semi-final match against India in the Champions Trophy.”
PHOTO: AFP
“Everyone is excited as we have beaten India on their home ground where everything was in their support; the crowd, ground, music, cheering and even umpires gave some decisions against us,” said goalkeeper Imran Butt while talking to The Express Tribune from India. “But we overcame all difficulties and defeated them.”
Meanwhile, captain Muhammad Imran said it was a proud moment for the team and the nation.
“We’ve qualified for the final after a gap of 16 years,” he said. “Now we will display our full potential to win the final on Sunday [today].”
Post-match behavior of Pakistani players questioned
As the final hooter sounded, excited Pakistani players hugged each other, took off their shirts and waved them towards disappointed spectators in the stand.
Coach Shahnaz later walked out of the post-match press conference without answering questions after an Indian reporter persisted about the behaviour of Pakistani players after the game.
In a statement issued by tournament director Wiert Doyer, the International Hockey Federation (FIH) said Shahnaz had apologised for his team’s rude gestures towards the crowd.
“I have spoken to Shahnaz and told him that the behaviour of Pakistan players went beyond what is acceptable to standards of the FIH,” Doyer was quoted as saying in the statement.
“Shahnaz has apologised and assured me that this behaviour will not occur again.”
Germany end Australia’s Champions Trophy reign
Olympic gold medallists Germany quashed Australia’s bid to win a sixth successive Champions Trophy field hockey title, ousting the side 3-2 in the semi-final yesterday.
The Germans, playing with seven junior World Cup winners of 2013, stunned the Kookaburras with two goals by the ninth minute through Timur Oruz and Mats Grambusch.
They went up 3-0 immediately after half-time when Florian Fuchs took advantage of a goalmouth scramble and scooped the ball past Australian goalkeeper Andrew Charter.
Australia hit back in the 34th minute as Chris Ciriello banged in a penalty corner to net his fourth goal in the tournament. Nicholas Budgeon narrowed the margin further in the 42nd by scoring off a penalty corner rebound. Australia, who lost to Germany 4-2 the last time they met in the semi-finals of the 2012 London Olympics, failed to equalise despite benching the goalkeeper to accommodate an extra striker.
Pakistan will now face Germany in the final today, while Australia and India will play each other for the third place.
The Express Tribune
Last-gasp Arslan helps Pakistan edge India in thriller
BHUBANESWAR: Pakistan players celebrate their exciting victory over India in the Champions Trophy semi-final at the Kalinga Stadium on Saturday.—AFP
BHUBANESWAR: Riding on Arslan Qadir’s fine brace, Pakistan beat India 4-3 in a high-octane seven-goal thriller in their Champions Trophy semi-final at the Kalinga Stadium on Saturday.
Pakistan will now face Olympic champions Germany, who beat Australia 3-2 in the other semi-final, in Sunday’s final.
Arslan Qadir scored the winner in the dying minutes of the game to dash India’s hopes to reach the final of the Champions Trophy for the first time.
Both the teams dished out an attacking brand of hockey right from the word go as Indian custodian P. Sreejesh was tested twice inside 10 minutes of the first quarter by the Pakistani strikers.
Gurjinder Singh converted India’s first penalty corner, earned by Nikkin Thimmaiah, to give the hosts an early lead in the 12th minute.
India also managed to foil Paksitan’s first penalty corner attempt in the dying minutes of the first quarter but they bounced back in the second quarter to make the scoreline 1-1.
Sreejesh made three back-to-back saves right in the first minute of the second quarter but Arslan scored a fine field goal in the 16th minute to equalise.
Indian striker Akashdeep missed a sitter at the stroke of second quarter when he failed to trap the ball served on platter by S.V. Sunil.
INDIA’S Gurbaj Singh falls on a Pakistan player after a collision during their last-four clash.—AP
Pakistan went ahead 2-1 in the 32nd minute through a fine goalmouth tap-in by Mohammad Waqas despite India’s appeal for a referral.
India then wasted two back-to-back penalty corners in the 34th but Dharamvir Singh scored a fine field goal to put India back on level terms, sidestepping goalkeeper Inran Butt and smashing in the right corner after receiving a razor-sharp Gurbaj Singh cross.
Mohammad Irfan restored Pakistan’s lead, scoring a fine goal from a penalty corner variation in the 49th but Nikkin Thimmaiah scored two minutes later to haul India level before Arslan intervened late on.
Earlier, Olympic champions Germany quashed Australia’s bid to win a sixth successive Champions Trophy.
The Germans, playing with seven junior World Cup winners of 2013, stunned the Kookaburras with two goals by the ninth minute through Timur Oruz and Mats Grambusch.
Florian Fuchs made it 3-0 for the new-look German team, taking advantage of a goalmouth scramble and scooping the ball past Australian goalkeeper Andrew Charter.
Australia had been forced to try out new combinations due to the absence of four first-choice players, including star forward Jamie Dwyer.
They finally scored off their third and fourth penalty-corners in the third quarter through Chris Ciriello and Nicholas Budgeon.
Dawn
Pakistan outplay India 4-3 in thriller to storm into final
BHUBANESWAR: A misfiring India squandered a golden opportunity to create history as they went down 3-4 against archrivals Pakistan in a high-voltage semifinal of the Champions Trophy tournament on Saturday. Muhammad Arslan Qadir (17th minute, 59th) turned out to be the hero for Pakistan as he scored the winner just one minute from full time. Pakistan’s other scorers were Muhammad Waqas (32nd) and Muhammad Irfan (44th), while India’s struck through Gurjinder Singh (12), Dharamvir Singh (38) and Nikkin Thimmaiah (44).
Pakistan players celebrated their victory by hurling indecent and obscene gestures towards the crowds and Indian media and were promptly rebuked by coach Shahnaz Sheikh. It was a good chance for India to register their best-ever performance in the history of Champions Trophy but they couldn’t achieve the feat and buckled under pressure. India’s best-ever showing in the Champions Trophy is a bronze medal in 1982 edition of the tournament in Amstelveen, the Netherlands.
India wasted chances galore which cost them dearly. The Indians created opportunities but Sardar Singh, Nikkin, SV Sunil and Ramandeep Singh all misfired on numerous occasions from clear opening. India looked nervous at the beginning which showed in their performance. The Indians were sloppy as they kept losing the ball frequently. Rupinder Pal Singh looked off colour at the back.
Pakistan, on the other hand, looked more organised and kept pressurising the Indian defence. Rupinder was out-of-sorts at least in the first half as he kept losing the ball frequently and from one such occasion Pakistan created the first real scoring chance of the match in the sixth, but an alert Indian goalie PR Sreejesh came to his side’s rescue with a fine save to deny Muhammad Dilbar. Minutes later, Pakistan again looked threatening but Umar Bhutta’s deflection from Shafqat Rasool’s cross went just wide of the goal. But it was India which took the lead against the run of play scoring from their first chance.
The Indians earned their first penalty corner and Gurjinder Singh made no mistake in blasting the ball into the left corner of the Pakistan net with a powerful flick. Pakistan went for referral but their appeal was disallowed. Pakistan then won their first short corner soon but wasted the chance in search of a variation before Sreejesh blocked Shakeel Ahmed Butt’s slap shot. Gurbaj Singh’s 10 minute suspension for a yellow card hurt India badly as it created open spaces in the Indian defence, resulting in Pakistan’s equaliser. Muhammad Arsalan Qadir caught the Indian defence off guard and neatly deflected home Butt’s cross to draw parity for Pakistan. India got a golden chance to restore their lead soon but Rupinder’s try from their second penalty corner was easily kept out by Pakistan goalkeeper Imran Butt.
The Daily Times
Winning goal in final minutes; Pak beats India 4-3
s2h team
Serpentine queue outside the stadium lasting for more than a kilometer, a sold-out board at the ticket counter and a stadium filled with deafening roar from the crowd - That is how an India v Pakistan Hockey match is played in the subcontinent.
It turned out exactly the same.
Sadly for all the Indian fans, the hosts chose to break the hearts of tens of thousands of their fans and ended up conceding the winning goal to Pakistan with just 90 seconds to spare.
A disciplined performance from 11th ranked Pakistan ensured that they beat profligate India 4-3 at the second semi-finals at the Champions Trophy '14, at the Kalinga Stadium Bhubaneshwar.
Muhammad Arslan Qadir humbled the whole Indian defence line in the 59th minute when he latched on to a square pass from Ali Shan from the left. Beating Gurjinder who stood a meter away from him, he stepped forward and slotted the ball into the Indian cage.
For Pakistan, the goals came from Muhammad Arslan Qadir (17th and 59th minute), Muhammad Waqas (32nd) and Muhammad Irfan (49th). For the Indians the goals came from Gurjinder (12th), Dharamvir (44th) and Nikkin Thimmaiah (52th).
Consider this: 54% ball possession in the opponent half, 5 penalty corner compared to 3 for the opponents, 14 circle penetrations compared to 6. All these number in favour of India.
Add a bit of salt to the wounds of Indian fans: 2 Yellow and 1 Green cards for Pak, compared to a Yellow and Green card for India. The second and third goals from Pakistan came when they were down to ten players. Unfortunately, Indians remained wasteful and let go several chances in a game where Pakistan's defence played out of their skin.
Earlier, the match started at a steady pace. Both teams looked for opportunities to create their chances and were wary of conceding an early goal.
Pakistan came close to scoring a goal in the 8th minute. Shafqat Rasool's square pass from the right was picked up by Muhammad Umar Bhutta but he misdirected his hit.
It was India who drew the first blood in the game. Earning a penalty corner in the 11th minute, Gurjinder took India 1-0 by his low diagonal flick going left of Pakistan's goalkeeper, Imran Butt.
What followed three minutes later would be something India will regret for long. Gurbaj slipped and lost the ball to a Pak player. In the heat of moment, he charged the player, deliberately tripped him and was suspended for ten minutes on a yellow card. Pakistan grabbed the opportunity with both hands and pushed India with attacks one after another. On a square pass from the baseline in the 17th minute, Muhammad Arslan Qadir levelled the game deflecting it high into the nets.
India earned a penalty corner in the 21st minute and then a follow-up one, however, Rupinderpal flopped, coming up with an uninspiring flick.
Missed chances galore for India. In the last couple of minutes in the second quarter, India squandered two beautiful chances to score. Once SV Sunil gave a precise pass to fleet-footed Nikkin in the center-left flank. His hit from an acute angle failed to reach the nets. Moments later, a better composed Nikkin in the Pakistan's circle, anticipating a block ahead, relayed the pass back to SK Uthappa. He in turn gave it inaccurately to Akashdeep, who was perfectly positioned at Pakistan's goalmouth.
Post lemon break, with Pakistan down to ten players, Shafqat Rasool's splendid hit from the right found a lurking Muhammad Waqas near the Indian cage. He didn't err and took Pakistan 2-1.
Two minutes later, India earned two successive penalty corners. Raghu's flick was an excruciating one for all the vocal Indian fans. It went about a couple of meters away from the post.
With Pakistan down to ten players again and on the defensive, a Green Card to Sardar inspired Akashdeep to set-up Dharamvir at the top of Pakistan circle in the 42nd minute. His reverse hit from the left levelled the scoreboard at 2-2.
In the final quarter, following another simple miss by India, this time by Sardara, Pakistan earned a short corner on dangerous play by India in their circle. Muhammad Imran, pretending to take the flick, came up with a deceptive quick pass to Muhammad Irfan on his immediate left. Irfan's low, diagonal flick was quick to beat Sreejesh.
Four minutes later, Nikkin deflected a long through ball from Gurbaj from the left into the nets.
Into the final five minutes and the score levelled at 3-3, India wasted a short corner, their fifth one in the game. India remained lucky as they got yet another chance to score but Akashdeep goofed up on a deflection at the goalmouth.
India now take on Australia tomorrow in the Bronze medal match. Pakistan take on Germany in the clash for the title.
Stick2Hockey.com
Pakistan wins a thriller, makes final
Y.B. Sarangi
Pakistan players celebrate unethically along with the team members after beating India in the semifinal of the Champions Trophy hockey at Kalinga Stadium in Bhubaneswar on Saturday. Photo : Sandeep Saxena
The Saturday blockbuster involving India and Pakistan had disappointment in store for the passionate home fans as the host lost 4-3 an evenly-contested, high voltage semifinal clash of the Champions Trophy hockey tournament at the Kalinga Stadium here.
Incidentally, India had also lost to the same opponent in the last four of the 2012 edition in Melbourne.
The defeat also meant that the third place finish in 1982 remains India's best ever performance in the Champions Trophy.
Meets Germany
World No. 11 Pakistan, which reached the final after 16 years on the strength of Muhammad Arslan Qadir's brace, will take on Olympic champion and nine-time winner Germany on Sunday.
The world No. 3 edged past five-time defending champion Australia 3-2.
It was also a big achievement for Germany, which had struggled throughout the year and came into this event with a team which had several players from the 2013 Junior World Cup-winning squad, as it made the final after 2009.
As expected, Pakistan used its sharpened wings to cut through the Indian defence frequently and kept hitting into the circle from the right.
India, which kept its cool and tried to maintain its structure, was lucky that a few of the attempts did not find the target. P.R. Sreejesh again showed his alertness in blocking a few.
India's response was occasional, but one of it earned the breakthrough as Gurjinder Singh rolled wide and into the right corner of the Pakistan post to put India ahead off its first penalty corner in the 12th minute.
Pakistan wasted its video referral after unsuccessfully challenging the goal.
Gurbaj Singh's foul on a Pakistani player in the 14th minute cost India dear.
The key player was yellow-carded for 10 minutes and the host conceded a short corner at the stroke of the first quarter.
Pakistan struck back soon after resumption as the hard-working Ammad Shakeel Butt crossed it from the right and Qadir defected it in to silence the packed house.
India, which played most of the second quarter with 10 men, was led well by Sardar Singh and managed to prevent further damage.
Pakistan tightened the screws by scoring the second goal after the change of ends. Qadir received a through ball on the edge of the circle and precisely crossed it to Muhammad Waqas to push it home.
In a highly physical game, which witnessed three Pakistanis and one Indian getting temporary suspension in a span of 14 minutes, India replied with two penalty corners but the scoreline remained unaltered.
India equalised through Dharamvir Singh, but the match swung again in favour of Pakistan with Muhammad Irfan converting a penalty corner.
Despite issues with trapping inside the Pakistan ‘D’, Nikkin Thimmaiah guided home a pass from Gurbaj to make it 3-3.
A minute-and-a-half away from close, Qadir slotted home the winner and the Pakistan players celebrated by taking off their jerseys as emotions flared in the stands.
The results:
Semifinals: Germany 3 (Timur Cruz 5, Mats Grambusch 9, Florian Fuchs 31) bt Australia Chris Ciriello 34, Nicholas Budgeon 42).
Pakistan 4 (Muhammad Arslan Qadir 16, 59, Muhammad Waqas 32, Muhammad Irfan 49) bt India 3 (Gurjinder Singh 12, Dharamvir Singh 44, Nikkin Thimmaiah 49).
5th-8th places: The Netherlands 2 (Jeroen Hertzberger 11, Sander Baart 30) bt Belgium 2 (Tom Boon 49, Tanguy Cosyns 60) via penalty shoot-out [Ned 4 (Hertzberger, Robert Kemperman, Seve van Ass, Baart) bt Belgium 2 (Felix Denayer, Arthur van Doren)].
Argentina 2 (Gonzalo Peillat 25, 48) bt England 1 (Ashley Jackson 12).
The Hindu
Pak finish off India in dying seconds, enter final
Indervir Grewal
A Pakistan player gestures the crowd to keep silent. AFP
Bhubaneswar - The stadium erupted thrice like a volcano. Once when India took the early lead and twice when they fought back to equalise.
There was a constant roar throughout as India dominated for long periods and their attacks kept flowing.
But there were a few moments of hush, which cut holes into the continuous roar. The four goals Pakistan scored and the silence that accompanied ended up swallowing the whole Kalinga Stadium as the final hooter sounded.
India’s performance on the day was simply poor. Coach Roelant Oltmans had said before the match that his players were under no pressure. But the team was just overwhelmed by the big stage.
When attacking, the Indian players were in a debilitating hurry. They made silly mistakes, spoiling the buildup and faltered with the final try. Nikkin Thimmaiah, Manpreet Singh fired wide from very good angles. Sardar Singh had clear chance. He had so much time that he twice set up the shot before firing wide. Maybe the reason was that they trailed for most part. They kept firing in crosses, hoping to find a deflection or even a penalty corner. They scored the third goal from a Thimmaiah deflection but the others were just pointless.
Even after they equalised 3-3, India just kept going straight at the goal. Gurbaj Singh showed his experience at this stage and slowed down the game. For the next few minutes India rotated the ball, using the full width. India earned five penalty corners, wasting four of them.
When defending, the players looked jittery. India never looked comfortable against Pakistan forwards. Whenever Pakistan moved out on a counter, Indians panicked. At times, three Indians went in to tackle a single Pakistan forward. And then they conceded soft goals.
India took the lead in 12th minute from a penalty corner. It seemed as if Gurjinder Singh hadn’t got it cleanly on his stick but his drag-flick along the turf found the right corner. Pakistan kept hitting crosses from the right and the ploy troubled India throughout the first-half. One deflection went just wide. One got them a penalty corner at the end of the first quarter but the variation also went wide.
Pakistan started the second quarter with the same strategy and it got them the equaliser. The deflection by Muhammad Arslan Qadir whizzed into the near top-corner. They went ahead in the 32nd minute through a counter-attack. Shafqat Rasool ran in unmarked on the right and his shot to far post was deflected in by Muhammad Waqas.Six minutes later, Dharamvir Singh scored a beautifully set up goal.
Akashdeep Singh got the ball at the centre-line after an interception. With his teammates running into space all round him, he dodges one player and then passed the ball to Dharamvir at the top of the circle. With only the goalkeeper to beat, Dharamvir drifted left and fired home the equalizer.
The momentum shifted but not for long. Within six minutes, Muhammad Irfan’s drag-flick gave Pakistan the lead. Thimmaiah equalized in the same minute. However, Qadir scored his second in the penultimate minute and Pakistan held on to set up final with Germany.
In another match, Germany ousted Australia 3-2.
Other results: Argentina bt England 2-1; Netherlands bt Belgium 2-2 (4-2 in shootout).
Row over celebrations
Pakistan players went wild after the final hooter (3-4) sounded. They ran around in a frenzy; some of them throwing their sticks in the air. However, a few of them took off their shirts and made lewd gestures towards a section of the crowd. Tournament Director Wiert Doyer, after an investigation said: “I have spoken to the Shahnaz Sheikh, Head Coach, and told him that the behaviour of the Pakistan players went beyond what is acceptable to standards of the FIH. The behaviour in question concerned many members of the Pakistan team. It is difficult to find any particular miscreant, and it is possible that the behaviour of the players may have been a reaction. Shahnaz Sheikh has apologised and assured me that this behaviour will not occur again. Given these matters, I’ve decided that no further action is warranted.”
The Tribune
Pakistani players make obscene gestures to crowd after beating India, coach apologises
AFP PHOTO
Pakistani players made obscene gestures towards Indian fans and media after their win over India but no action will be taken against them as their coach Shahnaz Sheikh has apologised to the FIH for the incident.
Soon after their 4-3 win, Pakistani players went into a frenzy mode and started celebrating their victory in a wild fashion. They started dancing in jubilation.
They removed their shirts, used foul language and made obscene gestures towards the crowd and media, prompting their coach Shahnaz to come into action and take away his players. Tournament Director Wiert Doyer then spoke to Pakistani camp and said International Hockey Federation (FIH) has accepted their apology.
"The celebration of the Pakistani team contained some behaviour that warranted further investigation by me as Tournament Director. As a result I have spoken to the Head Coach of the Pakistan team, Mr. Shahnaz Sheikh and told him that the behaviour of Pakistan players went beyond what is acceptable to standards of the FIH," Doyer said.
"The behaviour in question concerned many members of the Pakistan team. It is difficult to find any particular miscreant, and it is possible that the behaviour of the players may have been a reaction. Shahnaz Sheikh has apologised and assured me that this behaviour will not occur again. Given these matters, I've decided that no further action is warranted," Doyer added.
Pakistan coach Shahnaz Sheikh left after an apologising, which according to him was enough to settle the issue.
"I am not a politician I am a sportsperson, but I am sorry for this. They are youngsters and made a mistake in enthusiasm. I guess that's enough," Sheikh simply said and walked out of the conference hall evading further questions on the matter. India captain Sardar Singh also denounced winners' celebration style.
"It doesn't look good because many families came to watch the match. Their celebration after the win was not appropriate. They deserved to win. Congratulations to them, but the way they celebrated by opening their shirt and making indecent gestures was not right. It sends a wrong message." India's High Performance Director Roelant Oltmans said, "To be honest I didn't see much but it looked too much."
DNA
Pakistan Players Taunt Fans After Defeating India
Pakistan players were seen taking a dig at Indian fans after their victory against the home side in Champions Trophy hockey. Head coach of the side has apologized and therefore, the tournament director feels there is no further action required in the matter.
Pakistani hockey players after their win against India in Champions Trophy. © PTI
Pakistan hockey players gesticulated and made ugly signs towards fans after defeating India 4-3 at Bhubaneswar's Kalinga Stadium on Saturday night. In a highly-charged semifinal match of Champions Trophy, the visiting side carved out a win courtesy a goal in the dying minutes.
The men in green rushed to celebrate once the final hooter was sounded. They, however, soon took of their jerseys and were seen gesturing towards the spectators. Many had their fingers to their lips as the stunned crowd watched on in silence. Head coach of the team Shahnaz Sheikh later apologised for the incident in an unusually short post-match press conference.
Tournament director Wiert Doyer also issued a statement after the match. He said that while the 'behaviour of Pakistan players went beyond what is acceptable to standards of the FIH', no further action would be taken. "Mr Shahnaz Sheikh has apologised and assured me that this behaviour will not occur again. Given these matters, I've decided that no further action is warranted," said Doyer.
Hurt after their 2014 Asian Games defeat when India won the final, Pakistan extracted revenge on Saturday.
Any sporting encounter between India and Pakistan usually turns out to be high-tension affair. In recent times though, players on either side have controlled their emotions irrespective of a win or defeat. In Incheon, there were more Pakistani fans than Indians but after Sardar Singh's team won the gold, there were no unruly celebrations targeted at Pakistani fans.
NDTV Sports
Sardar Singh: This is not correct
Reacting to the ugly incident of Pakistan players, who showed middle finger at the crowd, and then used all the obscene gestures towards main stand after winning India in the semis, Indian captain Sardar Singh felt such things should not have happened and it is not the way celebrated our victory over them at Incheon where we won the Gold.
"There were lot of families in the crowd, the crowd was good. The way Pak did was inappropriate. Its not done. We also won them at Incheon, but we did not celebrate like this", said visibly crestfallen Sardar Singh.
He felt apologetic for letting the nation down.
Chief coach Roelant Oltmans also felt the same, and said it is not done.
Stick2Hockey.com
Unacceptable investigation
s2h Team
The FIH has made an investigation faster than it changes rules and the one it sent today to media pertaining to Pakistan players' indecent behaviour must rank simply casual.
Pakistan players led by its captain Mohd Imran insulted the crowd, who paid for
being there, with obscene gestures for prolonged spells.
Shortly after the press meet involving Pak coach and Captain turned ugly, and the duo walked out, media was informed of FIH's effort to conduct an investigation on its own.
The international governing of field hockey, Federation Internationale de Hockey, will investigate the behaviour of Pakistan players and take appropriate action.
Ken Read, the FIH representative of the tournament said: "FIH is concerned about the incidents after the match between India and Pakistan, and has asked Tournament Director Wiet Doyer to investigate. The investigation will be over by tomorrow".
However, within an hour the following Investigative report has come. It is reproduced verbatim.
"The celebration of the Pakistani team contained some behaviour that warranted further investigation by me as Tournament Director. As a result I have spoken to the Head Coach of the Pakistan team, Mr. Shahnaz Sheikh and told him that the behaviour of Pakistan players went beyond what is acceptable to standards of the FIH." .
"The behaviour in question concerned many members of the Pakistan team. It is difficult to find any particular miscreant, and it is possible that the behaviour of the players may have been a reaction. Shahnaz Sheikh has apologised and assured me that this behaviour will not occur again. Given these matters, I've decided that no further action is warranted."
VIEW: The TD seemed to have accepted the apology by Pak coach though it should have come from Manager. Secondly, the conclusion not to suggest any further action is casual and escapist in nature.
The investigation hinges on the view that the Pak players' behaviour is because of 'Reaction'.
There is a code of conduct for players, not for crowd. Crowd is controlled by keeping them at distance, posting police and preventing materials to stands.
But if the players instigate themselves and indulge in obscene free, on whatever provocation of crowd (even if it is true) the code of conduct should come into force.
TD finds it difficult to find individual miscreant, but can spend sometime and see the video for himself to find out the culprit and suggest punishment.
He has not done that, but washed hands on technical grounds.
If he cannot find right miscreant, how can it say, or belive, its reaction. Do he have the video evidence for that?
Hope Hockey India is aware of what's going on. India v Pakistan match played in India is an epic which gets unprecedented viewership in comparison to any other Hockey game. Such a scene, shames the game in front of millions. The punishment for the perpetrators has to be strong enough to dissuade anyone to bring disrepute to the game. The onus is on the Governing Body is take it up and to do the needful. From any angle, a 'reaction' like this can't go unpunished.
Stick2Hockey.com
We didn't take our chances, says disappointed Performance Director Roelant Oltmans after loss to Pakistan
AFP PHOTO
India's High Performance Director Roelant Oltmans blamed his side's 3-4 defeat against arch-rivals Pakistan on wasting numerous scoring opportunities in the high-voltage second semifinal of the Hero Champions Trophy hockey tournament, in Bhubaneswar on Saturday.
India wasted chances galore which cost them dearly. The Indians created opportunities but Sardar Singh, Nikkin, SV Sunil and Ramandeep Singh all misfired on numerous occasions from clear opening.
India looked nervous at the beginning which showed in their performance. The Indians were sloppy as they kept losing the ball frequently.
"I can't say what went wrong. I can only say what went right. The one thing that went wrong is that they scored more goals than we did," a visibly disappointed Oltmans said.
"If you look at the number of chances we had more chances. In the first half we didn't play to our level what we have shown in earlier matches of the tournament. The second half was much better. We created a lot of opportunities but we didn't take our opportunities. Sardar himself had a good chance, Manpreet had a good chance. I think at that period we really had opportunities to score more goals," he said.
Oltmans said his wards had plenty of work to do if they wish to perform in key matches.
"We had made mistakes that we had done earlier. In phases we are not playing to our potential and that we have to learn how to keep possession, how to close a game. We have discussed these but you have to execute that on the pitch," he said.
"We were clearly the better side in the last quarter. We conceded two simple goals and that a very important lesson for the future", he signed off.
DNA
Germany end Australia's lengthy Champions Trophy reign
Germany ended Australia’s lengthy reign as Champions Trophy holders as they eliminated the Kookaburras in a thrilling semi-final tussle in Bhubaneswar.
The Aussies have held the title since 2008, winning five successive titles, while the Markus Weise’s had not won a medal since Melbourne in 2009 but they continue to grow as this tournament progresses. They built a 3-0 lead by the early stages of the second half and while Australia fought back, they had just enough in the tank to get over the line.
The Germans got off to a dream start with two goals in the first nine minutes. Timur Oruz got a lovely feathered touch to a diagonal pass from Lukas Windfeder. Mats Grambusch then extedned the lead when the ball bounced back to him after the Kookaburras struggled to clear their lines.
His powerful shot took a deflection off Fergus Kavanagh’s foot to give the Aussie goalkeeper Andrew Charter no chance of blocking the ball. Australia did have their moments with Jeremy Hayward shooting wide while Nicolas Jacobi got a brilliant diving stick out to deny Russell Ford a simple tap-in. It remained 2-0 until half-time thanks to a superb Moritz Furste save on the post from a Chris Ciriello penalty corner flick – a block the German captain gleefully celebrated.
A minute after half-time, Germany were 3-0 up as Florian Fuchs picked up the pieces when Charter had denied Martin Zwicker at close quarters. Fuchs dodged away from the goalkeeper before unleashing a beautiful punch shot into the roof of the net from a narrow angle.
Australia duly launched their fightback and had a lifeline in the 34th minute when Ciriello dragged home his fourth goal of the competition. And they were right back in the mix when Nick Budgeon smashed home seven minutes later following a mad scramble in front of the German goal.
It set up a grandstand finish in which Australia piled forward in numbers but they could not take advantage from a corner and a number of goalmouth melees, leaving Germany to celebrate.
Flash quotes
Eddie Ockenden (AUS): It was a really tough game. We could have put a couple of goals away at the end and we could have easily scored more goals. We fought much better in seconnd half and could have also taken the win.
Timur Oruz (GER): It’s unbelievable; I would have never dreamed of playing in a Champions Trophy final here.
Moritz Fürste (GER captain): We started very strong, we fought 100% until the end; I'm so proud on this young team, scoring two sensational goals at the beginning.
Markus Weise (GER coach): We confirmed our performance from the quarter-final and even improved on it. The win was a bit lucky but well deserved.
#CT2014 #BestOfTheBest
FIH site
Kookas lose to Germany
Australian men will play for bronze medal against India
Photo credit: Dan Carson / DC Images
The Kookaburras will contest the bronze medal playoff at the Champions Trophy on Sunday night after going down 3-2 to the Olympic champions Germany in Bhubaneswar on Saturday. The result ended a six year dominance of the competition by the Australian men, who have won the previous five Champions Trophy titles in a run stretching back to 2008.
Despite a valiant fight back in the second half, Australia’s young team had ultimately given themselves too much to do after falling three goals down less than a minute after half time. Third-quarter penalty corner strikes from Chris Ciriello – his 99th goal for Australia – and Nick Budgeon sparked a green and gold resurgence but the equalising goal eluded the Kookaburras, for whom Jake Whetton had a last minute opportunity to level but could do little about the ball striking him on the foot.
The Kookaburras will face India in the bronze medal match at 22:45 AEDT on Sunday after they lost 4-3 to fierce rivals Pakistan. Germany, who finished bottom of Pool B in the group stage before winning through the knock-out quarter final against England, will face Pakistan, who finished bottom of Pool A.
Kookaburras Head Coach Graham Reid said, “It’s very hard to win when you give a team a three-nil start. I was very disappointed with the first half but the second half was much better. I said to the players afterwards that you can’t give a team like that a head start, but I’m proud of the fight back in the second half, apart from the early goal. We took the game to them and didn’t hold back. It’s just unfortunate the way we started, there was a lack of communication.”
The match had barely found its stride before the Kookaburras fell behind to Timur Oruz’s deflection five minutes in. Gaining a metre on his marker, the German deflected the ball home inside the far post.
Jeremy Hayward came close to levelling three minutes later from a penalty corner but his shot from the second phase hit the side netting the wrong side of the post.
And less than 60 seconds later Australia were 2-0 down as they struggled to clear the ball from a crowded circle; Mats Grambusch’s shot took the faintest of touches off Fergus Kavanagh on the way past Andrew Charter in goal.
An uneventful second quarter came to life in the dying seconds when Germany captain Moritz Furste pulled off an outstanding chest high goal line clearance to bat away Chris Ciriello’s goal-bound penalty corner. It might have been the catalyst Australia required but just 30 seconds after the restart they fell further behind as Florian Fuchs showed composure to lift the ball into the net after Charter had initially denied Martin Zwicker.
Then came the fight back.
Chris Ciriello did what he does best, firing home a low penalty corner through the legs of goalkeeper Nicolas Jacobi for 3-1 with more than 25 minutes remaining.
Eight minutes later, Nick Budgeon dropped his hands and lashed a shot into the German goal for 3-2 after Jacobi and Furste had denied Matthew Dawson and Russell Ford at a penalty corner.
Australia were by now in the ascendancy with pressure weighing heavily on the Germany defence. With both teams temporarily down to ten men through suspensions, Jake Whetton lifted a reverse stick shot over the top as he turned, off balance, at the top of the circle. Then, with four minutes remaining Jacobi’s big left glove thwarted Ciriello from yet another corner.
As the final minute approached the Kookaburras made a last throw of the dice, replacing goalkeeper Tyler Lovell with Tim Deavin as kicking back. And it almost paid off. With the extra outfielder the Kookaburras forced Germany deep, flashing a cross into the circle that was headed for Jake Whetton unmarked at the back post. But as he shaped to sweep home Jacobi again produced a telling touch, diving with his stick to deflect the ball onto Whetton’s foot to prevent a late equaliser and the shoot-out that would have followed.
Results
5-8th: Belgium 2-2* Netherlands
*Netherlands won 4-2 on shoot-out
5-8th: England 1-2 Argentina
Semi 1: Germany 3-2 Australia
Semi 2: India 3-4 Pakistan
Next Fixtures - Sunday 14 December
17:00 AEDT | 7th/8th Playoff: England v Belgium
19:15 AEDT | 5th/6th Playoff: Argentina v Netherlands
22:45 AEDT | Bronze Medal: Australia v India
01:00 AEDT | Gold Medal: Germany v Pakistan
Men’s Champions Trophy
Bhubaneswar, India
KOOKABURRAS: 2 (0)
Chris Ciriello 34 (PC)
Nick Budgeon 41 (PC)
GERMANY: 3 (2)
Timur Oruz 5 (FG)
Mats Grambusch 9 (FG)
Florian Fuchs 31 (FG)
Kookaburras Squad
Athlete (Hometown, State) caps/goals
Started
Andrew Charter (GK ) (Canberra, ACT) 83/0
Chris Ciriello (Melbourne, VIC) 154/99
Tom Craig (Lane Cove, NSW) 8/1
Tim Deavin (Launceston, TAS) 99/4
Matt Gohdes (Rockhampton, QLD) 109/31
Jeremy Hayward (Darwin, NT) 26/10
Fergus Kavanagh (Geraldton, WA) 196/14
Eddie Ockenden (capt) (Hobart, TAS) 230/57
Flynn Ogilvie (Wollongong, NSW) 9/1
Glenn Simpson (Melbourne, VIC) 117/21
Jake Whetton (Brisbane, QLD) 77/32
Used Substitute
Daniel Beale (Brisbane, QLD) 43/8
Nick Budgeon (Hobart, TAS) 26/12
Matthew Dawson (Central Coast, NSW) 9/0
Russell Ford (Melbourne, VIC) 157/72
Tyler Lovell (GK) (Perth, WA) 35/0
Simon Orchard (Maitland, NSW) 162/50
Tristan White (Wollongong, NSW) 43/3
Kookaburras’ Upcoming Fixtures
Sunday 14 December – Bronze medal match v Pakistan OR India - 22:45 AEDT / 19:45 AWST
Hockey Australia media release
Kookaburras v India
Australia and India to battle for Bhubaneswar bronze, Sunday
The Kookaburras will face hosts India in the bronze medal match at the Champions Trophy after Australia's men lost their Saturday semi final 3-2 to Germany and India lost to rivals Pakistan 4-3.
The bronze medal match will take place at 22:45 AEDT tonight, Sunday, 14 December. It will be shown live in Eastern Daylight states and territories on ABC 2 and on delay at 22:45 local time in all other states and territories.
The match will be live across Australia via YouTube at YouTube.com/fihockey.
It means that the World and Commonwealth champion Kookaburras' six year domination of the competition will come to an end with Olympic champions Germany and 2012 Champions Trophy bronze medallists Pakistan meeting in the final.
Such is the format of the eight team competition, with every team qualifying for the quarter finals irrespective of their pool phase results, both Pakistan and Germany reached the final having finished on the bottom of Pools A and B respectively, winning one match between them in the opening phase.
Australia and India met as recently as November in a four match Test series in Perth in which the Kookaburras' won the opening contest 4-0 but lost the series after going down 2-1, 1-0 and 3-1 in the remaining games.
In the second semi final in Bhubaneswar, India took the lead against their fierce rivals but Pakistan fought back to lead 2-1. India equalised twice to make it 2-2 and then 3-3 before Pakistan snatched a late winner with just two minutes remaining. The result means that Pakistan will definitely finish higher than two years ago in Melbourne where they won the bronze medal.
Results
5th-8th: Belgium 2-2* Netherlands
*Netherlands won 4-2 on shoot-out
5th-8th: England 1-2 Argentina
Semi 1: Germany 3-2 Australia
Semi 2: India 3-4 Pakistan
Next Fixtures - Sunday 14 December
17:00 AEDT | 14:00 AWST | 7th/8th Playoff: England v Belgium
19:15 AEDT | 16:15 AWST | 5th/6th Playoff: Argentina v Netherlands
22:45 AEDT | 19:45 AWST | Bronze Medal: Australia v India
01:00 AEDT | 22:00 AWST | Gold Medal: Germany v Pakistan
Hockey Australia media release
Netherlands defeat Belgium in shoot-out competition
The Netherlands eventually saw off Belgium in a shoot-out to earn a fifth place playoff from the opening game of day five at the Hero Hockey Champions Trophy in Bhubaneswar.
Early on, there looked to be precious little drama as the Netherlands built a strong 2-0 lead and looked well set for victory. But the Red Lions - who were without the injured Simon Gougnard and Loick Luypaert - came back with a final quarter volley to equalise with the very last touch of the game, 2-2.
Jeroen Hertzberger got the Dutch up and running in the 11th minute with a powerful finish from the top of the circle. Sander Baart then made it 2-0 just before half-time when Rob van der Horst located the forward behind the last Belgian defender. Baart applied a delicious final touch.
From there, Belgium had the better chances but Pirmin Blaak was in superb form, denying Sebastien Dockier and Tom Boon among others in the third quarter. Boon got one back with 11 minutes to go with a brave, diving finish. Constantijn Jonker twice went close to restoring the two-goal margin, his deflections denied by the post and the crossbar, while Blaak made an excellent save from a Tanguy Cosyns drag-flick to retain the lead going into the final stages.
There was last minute drama a plenty, however, when Mink van der Weerden saw his penalty corner charged down - after Belgium had removed their goalkeeper - and Amaury Keusters draw another superb block from Blaak. But Belgium won a corner with one second remaining and John-John Dohmen touched home the equaliser.
Jaap Stockmann, brought into the fray for the shoot-out, made crucial saves on Cosyns and Florent van Aubel to give the Dutch a 4-2 shoot-out win.
Flash quotes
Arthur van Doren (BEL): It was disappointing; I thought we played a really good match. We dominated Holland and created our own chances; they didn’t create a lot but were very efficient and that’s what got them the two goals. We made a very good comeback but we’re disappointed to lose in the shoot-out.
Robbert Kemperman (NED): We escaped. After two losses, I am really happy we got the win in the end. They were chasing the game in the second half and maybe we made some stupid choices. It was maybe not the best level we have played but it doesn’t really matter; we won the shoot-out and are through – that is the best thing.
Jaap Stockmann (NED) on being brought into action for the penalty shoot-out: I knew that this could happen so I wasn’t surprised. I was ready. It’s great to get the win today. Our mindset was very good and we had the spirit to win the game.
Pirmin Blaak (NED): It was a close one. Today was a team effort but we know we still have to improve. We had some very bad feelings after the loss to Pakistan.
#CT2014 #BestOfTheBest
FIH site
Peillat fires Los Leones into 5th place playoff
Argentina face the Netherlands in Sunday’s 5th place playoff at the Hero Hockey Champions Trophy in Bhubaneswar while England and Belgium will compete for the 7th place. Los Leones won their 5-8 classification match 2-1 against England thanks to a penalty corner strike from Gonazalo Peillat.
Ashley Jackson opened the scoring in the first quarter with a beautiful penalty stroke goal when his flick hit the top left corner of the goal. The stroke had been awarded after Chris Griffiths’ excellent run down the left channel was halted illegally.
England failed to extend their lead later on. Argentina were level on 25 minutes when Gonzalo Peillat fired home a powerful corner flick to the right corner. The set piece was won by Lucas Vila’s innovative run.
The third quarter was scoreless with Jackson seeing his drag-flick being saved on the line and Henry Weir being denied by Manuel Vivaldi. The Argentine goalie parried against Griffith’s attempt shortly afterwards. However, Argentina took their chance to take the lead from a penalty corner flicked in by specialist Peillat.
Flash quotes
Ashley Jackson (ENG)
We had so many chances but got in trouble. It was very difficult for us because we had to play another game at midday. I think the team has done well and generally I’m very happy with the way we played.
Bobby Crutchley (coach ENG)
Tomorrow, we have to come out and win and that’s what we try and do every game. It was just a frustrating day today where we dominated play; a lot of good stuff but unfortunately we weren’t able to put the ball in the goal. We had lots of corners and chance from open play. They defend deep with numbers so they make life difficult but we should be able to cope with that and do better.
Lucas Vila (ARG)
We had to defend a lot and maybe we dropped too far back. But when we led 2-1, we defended it well while our keeper [Juan Manuel Vivaldi] was the man of the match. For the whole year – and his whole career – he has been a really good keeper. This year, he has been spectacular, especially in the World Cup and today you could see that.
#BestOfTheBest
FIH site
Peillat double seals England's fate
Chris Griffths can't beat Vivaldi in England's CT2014 game with Arg
Argentina got the better of England for the second time at a major tournament this year beating Bobby Crutchley’s side 2-1 in the penultimate day of competition at the 2014 Hero Champions Trophy. England opened the scoring in the 12th minute from an Ashley Jackson penalty stroke, but two faultless drag-flicks from Argentina’s specialist Gonzalo Peillat and a man of the match performance from goalkeeper Juan Vivaldi saw the South Americans through to face the Netherlands for fifth. For England, it’s a battle to avoid last place against Pool A opponents Belgium at 6am GMT.
In the first match of the day the Netherlands needed a shoot-out to see off Belgium 4-2 in the other 5th-8th classification match after a 2-2 draw in normal time.
The game marked a special occasion for Wimbledon’s Alastair Brogdon as he made his 100th appearance for England.
It was an action packed first quarter as both teams took full advantage of their counter attacking opportunities. Argentina won two penalty corners across the 15 minutes, however both were mis-trapped and it was England who edged ahead, slightly against the run of play, in the 12th minute. East Grinstead’s Chris Griffiths was judged to have been intentionally fouled in the circle after a great attacking run from the newcomer. Club teammate Ashley Jackson duly stepped up and fired home the resulting penalty stroke to give England a one goal lead.
Both sides picked up green cards as the closely fought encounter resumed for the second quarter. Crutchley’s side earned their first penalty corner of the game, but the ball was chased down well by Argentina’s defence and it was the South American side who went on to equalise from a brilliantly executed drag-flick by Gonzalo Peillat five minutes before the break.
The third quarter saw more of the same from the world number five [England] and seven [Argentina] sides as they went in search of the winning goal, but neither could find a way through their opponent’s defence, thanks largely to some excellent goalkeeping from Los Leones No1 Vivaldi.
Vivaldi continued his strong form going into the last 15 minutes as he denied Chris Griffiths early in the final quarter. Moments later George Pinner was called upon at the opposite end of the pitch to keep out Matias Paredes, but the attacking play resulted in a penalty corner. Argentina’s renowned flicker Peillat was denied brilliantly by the outstretched foot of Pinner from his first attempt, but the Argentina No2 made no mistake with his second, firing home to give his side the vital goal advantage [1-2].
After scoring twice for his country Peillat found himself on the end of a five minute suspension following a foul off the ball, but despite a handful of chances from open play and penalty corners England just couldn’t find a way past Vivaldi. The Argentina keeper saved from Dixon, Ward, Griffiths and Jackson in the closing stages to earn himself the Hero Man of the Match award and take his side through to face the Netherlands for fifth place. The defeat means that England will have to do battle with Pool A opponents Belgium again tomorrow as they fight to avoid a last place finish on the final day of the tournament. There was nothing to separate the two sides when they played out a 1-1 draw earlier in the week.
England Head Coach Bobby Crutchley
On the performance and looking ahead to the last game tomorrow:
“In games like these you have to take your chances and I’m obviously really disappointed with the result, but we are now in a position where we are dominating games and I think it’s clear how much progress we’ve made over the year and since our last encounter with Argentina in the summer. It’s now important that we rest and recover for our final game against Belgium tomorrow.”
England will be back in action at 6am [GMT] tomorrow morning against Belgium as world number five takes on world number four in the seventh versus eighth play-off
England 1 (1)
Ashley Jackson 12 (PS)
Argentina 2 (1)
Gonzalo Peillat 25, 48 (PC, PC)
England Hockey Board Media release
NZ President’s XI win Oceania Pacific Cup
The NZ President's XI Men are returning from Fiji as Oceania Pacific Cup champions after winning 5-3 against Fiji in the final on Saturday.
Meanwhile the NZ President's XI Women return with a silver after being edged by Australian Country in a penalty shoot-out after a 1-1 draw at full time.
In the men's game, Mitchell Cronin said his team had to dig deep in the scorching heat to edge a fighting Fijian team.
The Kiwis settled down first and raced to a 3-0 lead in the first 23 minutes with goals to Nathaniel Joy, Cronin and Anil Nathoo.
Fiji came back with goals from Denzel Mock and Leevan Dutta and then found the equaliser through Martin Fong in the 48th minute.
After one of Fijian's key players - Denzel Mock - was yellow carded, New Zealand capitalised scoring through Cronin and Regan Hughes giving the Kiwis a 5-3 win.
All in all it was a very fast paced match and Fijian coach Shaun Corrie was graceful in defeat and praised his men for the fight back. Fijian goalkeeper Lemeki Tubusoi played with pride and brought off some spectacular saves.
In the women's game against Australian Country, New Zealand were defensively strong until Jaz Hill found the back of the net. The Australians lead remained at half time, but the Kiwis found the equaliser through Trishna Abernethy in the second half.
With it all tied up at full time it went to an exciting penalty shoot-out, which Australia Country won. The scorers in the shoot-out were Sarah Watterson and Kelsey Willott for Australia Country while Kate Mahon and Stacey Lloyd scored for the Kiwis.
For all results, click here
Hockey New Zealand Media release
NZ downs Fiji
Rashneel Kumar
Martin Fong is closed down by Kiwi players. Picture: JONE LUVENITOGA
DESPITE a valiant effort, the Fiji men's hockey side went down fighting to New Zealand Presidents XI in a thrilling Oceania Pacific Cup final yesterday.
The Shaun Corrie-coached side lost 3-5 at the National Hockey Centre in Laucala to settle for silver medal.
The Hector Smith Jr-skippered side displayed a better performance than the 2-8 loss to the visitors in the preliminary competition.
New Zealand Presidents XI made a strong start racing to a 3-0 lead with goals from Nathaniel Joy, Mitchell Cronin and Anil Nathoo.
Fiji bounced back through Denzel Mock and Leevan Dutta to trail 2-3 at the break.
The national side drew level in the 48th minute from Martin Fong's goal.
The team gave its best shot in the last quarter of the match before succumbing to a superior New Zealand outfit losing 3-5. Skipper Smith Jr hailed his players for the great effort.
"I am very proud of the boys. They kept fighting until the end and we were just unlucky to lose," Smith Jr said.
"I thank all the fans and family that came in numbers to support the team. We dedicate our achievement to them."
Fiji will now prepare for the World Hockey League Round One in Singapore next year.
In the women's competition, Australia Country defeated New Zealand Presidents XI 3-2 in the penalty shoot-out after both teams were locked at 1-all at fulltime.
The Fiji women's side finished third after thrashing Papua New Guinea 8-0 in the playoff.
The side scored through striker Lora Bukalidi (3), Tiara Dutta (2), Fabiano, Raijeli Naisua and Lala Ravatu.
The Fiji women's side also qualified for World Hockey League Round One which will be held in India. In the men's third place playoff, Australia Country defeated PNG.
The Fiji Times
Black Sticks’ men scrap for series win against Canada in Christchurch
FACE-OFF: New Zealand's Arun Panchia and Canada's Jagdish Gill exchange words during the hosts' 3-1 victory at Christchurch's Marist Park. DEAN KOZANIC/Fairfax NZ
The men's Black Sticks had to put up a fight to win their series against Canada on Saturday afternoon in Christchurch, taking a scrappy 3-1 victory at Marist Park.
It wasn't the dominant performance they were looking for, with much of the game spent trying to find a way through the Canadian midfield, who looked to have put Wednesday's 4-0 drubbing behind them, stepping up their performance in the third test.
It was the first international test in Christchurch since 2007, and the Cantabrian hockey fans were treated to an early goal from Jacob Smith who took advantage of a disorganised Canadian defence to tap in a goal with just three minutes on the clock.
New Zealand's Simon Child spent much of the match shouting for his team to react quickly, with Canada clearly adapting their game to neutralise the Black Sticks' offence as well as look for their own creative positions of attack.
Another early break in the second quarter put New Zealand in the driving seat. Dunedin's Nick Ross showed remarkable control to stay on his feet under pressure and race down the right wing to set up Stephen Jenness who fired past Canadian goalkeeper David Carter.
Just before halftime Canada's Jagdish Gill put in a tasty tackle, setting a chain of events in motion that saw Canada's James Kirkpatrick grab a goal and put them within touching distance of turning the game around going into the second half.
After the break Canada returned to their defensive strategy and containing the Black Sticks in midfield. Both teams spent much of the third quarter frustrated in their attempts to break through into attacking positions, resorting to long range balls to free players.
In the fourth quarter, Ryan Archibald, who has returned to the squad after a two-year absence, launched a great attacking move but once again the Black Sticks failed to convert in the circle.
Nick Wilson took advantage of another scramble in the circle in the fourth quarter to seal the win and the series for the Black Sticks, with plenty to improve on ahead of the fourth test on Sunday.
Despite a number of green cards being handed out around the field, both teams kept the penalty corner count down, with all the goals coming from open play instead of set-piece moves.
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Christchurch's Brad Shaw, who had commended his team's abilty in Nelson for taking opportunities in the circle, said he felt they had taken a backwards step today as the team struggled to convert chances into goals.
Although there were moments of excellence, and good performances from individuals, head coach Colin Batch said he'll be looking for a more consistent and disciplined effort from the team tomorrow.
"We're looking for a better performance tomorrow, Canada were very focused today, they did well and made it difficult for us, and it was a real struggle. It was very scrappy, we failed to put together many passes and we turned the ball over in areas we don't want to turn the ball over, particularly around the back 23, and that's about not preparing properly and pre-scanning, so we'll be working on that overnight"
Batch and Child admitted the win wasn't pretty, but that it was important to grind out wins despite not performing at their best.
The last match takes place at 3pm tomorrow in Christchurch.
Stuff
Cracking final on the cards
By Jugjet Singh
KUALA Lumpur Hockey Club (KLHC) will be out to defend their TNB Cup, while Terengganu Hockey Team (THT) want to lay their hands on a new trophy in what is expected to be an explosive Malaysia Hockey League final today.
THT have already robbed KLHC of their league title, and coach K. Dharmaraj is not willing to lose a second trophy.
“It will not be easy for us to defend the TNB Cup against a team teeming with speedy forwards, but we won’t make it easy for them too as we aim to defend our title,” said Dharmaraj.
THT coach Sarjit Singh, in his usual laid-back manner, said his team are ready to be crowned double champions.
“When we selected the local players and went hunting for South Koreans, we had the double in mind and after winning the league, I believe my players are capable of winning the TNB Cup as well,” said Sarjit.
KLHC had to sweat buckets in the semi-finals as Tenaga held them to 1-1 and 2-2 draws, before bowing out 3-1 on penalties.
THT were beaten 3-2 by Maybank, before romping home 8-1 with style.
There will also be another contest on the field as national No 1 penalty corner flicker Razie Rahim of KLHC tries to score as well as stop current top scorer Faizal Saari from increasing his tally of 14.
Razie, with 12 goals, also has the daunting task of stopping THT’s Korean terror Jang Jong-Hyun from increasing his nine-goal haul during penalty corners.
But the lanky lad has played in seven finals for KLHC, and is not worried with the heavy task on his shoulders.
“My teammates will depend on me to score off penalty corners as well as defend penalty corners but it does not worry me much, as I am a team player and personal glories like being top-scorer do not matter to me.
“All that matters is that I combine well with my mates to deliver the TNB Cup to our club,” said Razie.
Jang, South Korea’s No 1 penalty corner flicker, has not been consistent but can be deadly.
“We have been playing well this season, and I believe we have enough good players to give KLHC a very good fight in the final,” said Jang.
KLHC beat THT 2-1 in the first round but were thrashed 5-1 in the corresponding fixture.
TODAY — TNB CUP Final: KLHC v THT (5pm, National Hockey Stadium Pitch II); Third-Fourth: Maybank v Tenaga (3pm, Pitch II).
New Straits Times
Terengganu hold slight edge in Sunday showdown
By Aftar Singh
Terengganu hockey team players and officials celebrate winning the Malaysia Hockey league title recently. - BERNAMA
KUALA LUMPUR: One is going for the double – the Premier Division and overall title (TNB Cup). The other is eyeing a sixth overall title.
So, who will come out tops in Sunday’s final for the overall title of the Malaysia Hockey League (MHL)?
Defending champions Kuala Lumpur Hockey Club (KLHC) are veterans of the overall final – making their seventh consecutive appearance since 2008.
Their opponents are Premier Division champions Terengganu, who are making their first appearance in the TNB Cup final – but with a chance to lift the double.
Based on their performances in the semi-finals, Terengganu are on a high while KLHC, who were double champions for four straight years from 2010, are a little low on confidence.
It’s not surprising really.
Terengganu bounced back from a 3-2 loss in the first leg semi-finals in Kuala Terengganu in style – hammering Maybank 8-1 in the return leg on Friday to qualify for final with a 10-4 aggregate.
KLHC, however, were involved in a tough semi-final against Tenaga Nasional. In the first leg, the teams drew 1-1. In the return leg on Friday, KLHC had to twice come back from being a goal down draw 2-2 for a 3-3 aggregate. The match was then decided in a penalty shootout, which KLHC won 3-1.
KLHC coach K. Dharmaraj admitted that they were lucky to reach the final.
“My players were a bit unpredictable in the match. But we achieved our target – to reach the final,” said Dharmaraj.
“We face an uphill task against Terengganu ... they have a solid team.
“They have great strike force, led by Faizal Saari, and also South Korean penalty corner flicker Jang (Jong-hyun).
“So, it will be up to us to rise to the occasion. I want my players to score first and exert pressure on them.”
Terengganu coach Sarjit Singh described the defeat by Maybank in the first-leg of the semi-finals as “a wake-up call” for his players.
“They’ve learnt their lesson and will be ready for KLHC,” said Sarjit.
“We want to be the first team from the east coast to bag the double since the MHL’s inception in 1987. Winning the double will further boost the game in Terengganu.”
KLHC and Terengganu met twice in the league. KLHC won the first match in Bukit Jalil 2-1 but lost the return clash 5-1 in Kuala Terengganu.
The Star of Malaysia
Faizal and Razie vie for scoring honours in TNB Cup final
By Aftar Singh
Terengganu's Faizal Saari is the Malaysia Hockey League top scorer thus far with 14 goals. - Filepic
KUALA LUMPUR: The Malaysia Hockey League (MHL) overall final between Terengganu and Kuala Lumpur Hockey Club (KLHC) on Sunday will see a battle for the top scorer’s award.
Terengganu’s Faizal Saari is in the driver’s seat with 14 goals thus far. He is on the verge of winning the award for the third time.
KLHC skipper Mohd Razie Abdul Rahim is just two goals behind him.
The diminutive Faizal, who was the top scorer in 2011 and 2012 with 19 goals and 20 goals respectively, helped Terengganu clinch their maiden Premier Division title last month.
Now, he wants to deliver the goals in the final against defending champions KLHC at the National Hockey Stadium in Bukit Jalil and guide his Terengganu side to their first double in the MHL.
The 24-year-old Faizal, who has been playing in the MHL since 2009, will be playing in his second overall final.
“I’m excited to play in the final for the second time and I aim to help my home state Terengganu to win the TNB Cup.
“I’ve been scoring in almost every match ... I want to score in the final to win my third top scorer award,” said Faizal, who could be the first local player to win the top scorer award for the third time in the MHL since 1987.
Razie, however, played down his chances, saying it would be more difficult for him as he will have to shoulder double duty.
The 27-year-old penalty corner specialist, not only has to marshall the defence but also step up for the set pieces.
“To me, retaining the TNB Cup is more important than winning the top scorer award,” said Razie, who was the top scorer in 2010 with 27 goals.
“We (KLHC) have experience playing in the final as we’ve won the TNB Cup five times in the last six years. I’m confident my team-mates will rise to the occasion against Terengganu.
“We’ve bagged the double (league and overall) four times in a row since 2010 ... it will be really disappointing to finish the season without a silverware.”
The Star of Malaysia
Champs East Grinstead off to a flyer
East Grinstead celebrate winning the Hockey 5s in 2014, credit Simon Parker
REIGNING champions East Grinstead got off to a great start on day one of the Hockey 5s Championship Men’s Premier Division at St George’s Park in Burton on Trent on Saturday, scoring 21 goals on their way to securing two wins.
Simon Faulkner and Andy Piper scored five goals each on the opening day, while Wes Jackson and Niall Stott scored three each.
They beat Beeston 11-3 in their opening match with Faulkner and Piper both scoring hat-tricks, while they won 10-4 against Sevenoaks later in the day with Niall Stott, Piper and Faulkner both scoring twice more.
But Canterbury have also made a cracking start and lie second, with 22 goals to their name so far. Ben Allberry is the top scorer after day one, having scored four times in their 12-2 win over Holcombe and secured a hat-trick on the way to an 8-10 win against Reading, while Liam Foster scored four in that match.
Team Bath Buccaneers are the only other unbeaten team, having beaten Bowdon 10-4 and drawn 3-3 with Beeston. Tim Davenport and Josh Mardell both have three goals for Bath.
Bowdon staged a comeback against Surbiton. After being behind 4-2 at half time, they hit back to win 5-6 with David Egerton (2), Simon Egerton and Lenni Bernstein grabbing the crucial late goals.
Sevenoaks got off to a great start with a 7-3 win over Reading in their first match, with George Torry scoring four times while the other goals went to Duncan Parnis, Dominic Bowden and captain Chris Barber.
After their 12-2 loss to Canterbury in their first match of the day, Holcombe ran out 8-6 winners over Surbiton in the last match on Saturday, with Stephane Vehrle-Smith scoring a hat-trick.
Day two on Sunday gives leaders East Grinstead perhaps their stiffest challenge yet when they take on third-placed Team Bath Buccaneers in the third match on Sunday, while they take on Reading later in the day. Canterbury face Sevenoaks and Surbiton as they bid to catch East Grinstead.
* For goalscorers and full competition details, including live updates click here - http://englandhockey.altiusrt.com/competitions/2
England Hockey Board Media release
Bowdon Hightown make great start
Bowdon Hightown v U of Birmingham, Hockey 5s, Dec 13 2014, credit Ravi Ghowry
SECOND in last season’s competition, Bowdon Hightown are the early leaders in the Hockey 5s Championship Women’s Premier Division after winning both their matches on Saturday at Bromsgrove School.
Reigning champions Reading suffered a shock 3-2 defeat to Sutton Coldfield in the second match of the day, and despite going on to beat Canterbury 5-3 they are fifth in the table at the end of day one.
Bowdon blasted the University of Birmingham 11-4 in their first match with Sarah Ingham, Tina Cullen, Sally Walton and Nat Wray both scoring twice.
And they beat Slough 4-2 in the day’s last match, Walton adding another two to her tally while Sarah Ingham and Holly Hunt were also on target.
Sutton Coldfield lie second in the table on goal difference only after also winning both their games. They inflicted a 3-2 loss on Reading with goals from captain Vicky Woolford, Emma McCabe and Sarah Parkinson-Mills.
That was followed with a 4-3 win over Clifton, Woolford scoring a hat-trick in that victory.
Harleston Magpies’ Emma Lee-Smith and Slough’s Alex Scott are the joint top-scorers after day one with five goals each. But they are both mid-table with a win and a loss each.
The Magpies beat East Grinstead 4-3 with Lee-Smith scoring a hat-trick and Sarah Brook also on target. Lee-Smith also scored both their goals in a 6-2 defeat to Slough, while Alex Scott scored four times in that win.
On Sunday Bowdon Hightown will take on Harleston Magpies and Clifton, while second-placed Sutton Coldfield entertain Canterbury and the University of Birmingham.
* For goalscorers and full competition details, including live updates click here - http://englandhockey.altiusrt.com/competitions/1
England Hockey Board Media release
FIH exploring possibility of Indo-Pak matches in Bangladesh
BHUBANESWAR: International Hockey Federation (FIH) president Leandro Negre on Saturday said FIH is exploring the possibility of organising an India-Pakistan test series in Bangladesh since it wasn't possible to hold any matches between the neighbouring nations in the two countries in the prevailing tense political situation.
Negre said he would visit Bangladesh soon to explore such a possibility and also look for development of hockey in the country as well.
"Matches between India and Pakistan are good for the popularisation of the sport. It is important that both the teams should play matches as frequently as possible, Negre said here.
He said FIH is also considering holding the 2018 World Cup matches, scheduled to be held in India, in Bhubaneswar and Mohali to promote the game.
"There will be 16 teams participating in the World Cup. While Pool A matches, consisting eight teams will be playing at one venue, Pool B matches will be played at another venue. However, it is just a proposal and Hockey India will decide over it," he said.
The final decision regarding selection of venue will be taken Nov 15 next year but it has been agreed to hold two matches a day to popularise the sport in these two centres.
"The first and foremost aim of the FIH is to promote and popularise hockey throughout the world. The only away to reach the maximum audience is through broadcasting of the matches. Broadcasters say six league matches in a day is not ideal for telecasting. So, we are planning to organise the tournament in two different venues," he said.
Negre also said Indian hockey is rapidly developing and has a bright future. Talking about the change of rules with the advent of four 15-minute quarters replacing the two halves of 35-minutes each, he said the introduction of the new rules was done for the benefit of the sport of hockey.
The Times of India