A late Simon Child goal gave New Zealand a 2-1 win over England in their crunch group game at the Commonwealth Games last night.
The significance of the win is that the Black Sticks are likely to avoid world No1 Australia in the semifinals, setting up the prospect of a transtasman battle for the gold medal on Sunday.
New Zealand barely got a look in early as England pressed hard through the first half. However they found New Zealand goalkeeper Devon Manchester an alert and a formidable last line.
England had two penalty corners but New Zealand were restricted two a couple of forays into their attacking third.
Child made early inroads in the second half, and only a block on the line by England captain Barry Middleton denied Andy Hayward's strong shot.
