A Haseem Khan goal either side of the break helped Pakistan beat Spain 2-1 in their second Pool B hockey World Cup match at the Dhyan Chand Stadium on Tuesday evening. David Alegre was the lone scorer for the 2006 World Cup semi-finalists.
The Spaniards earned five penalty corners during the match but could only make the last one count and Spain coach Dani Martin admitted his team's strike force was not up to the mark
We made a lot of mistakes up front and at this level you cannot waste so many chances," he said.
Both teams started the game cautiously and were happy to defend deep in their territories. But the game picked up pace soon. The Green Shirts had the first chance of the game when Waseem Ahmed rounded off his markers, but he could not get past the Spanish keeper Francisco Cortes.
Moments later, Spain almost opened the scoring when captain Pol Amat set up Ridrigo Graza, but the 30-year-old could not beat Pakistan custodian Salman Akbar.
Both sides continued pushing forward in search of the opener and Pakistan's efforts finally paid off when Haseem put the four-time champions ahead with a tap-in in the 29th minute. And that's how the sides went into the break.
Spain came out firing in the second half and created a lot of chances but could not hit the target. Their efforts finally paid off in the 65th minute when Alegre took advantage of a fumble in the Pakistan circle and slipped it past Akbar.
The Green Shirts netted the winner two minutes later when Haseem deflected in a drag-flick from Sohail Abbas.
Pakistan were organized defensively and coach Shahid Ali believes it was important to defend well against a team like Spain. "They rotate well in the midfield so we had to focus on our back line. We were trying to control the midfield and thankfully it paid off," said a relieved Ali
No comments:
Post a Comment