Hockey: NZ draw with Pakistan

A golden opportunity to upset one of major powers in men's hockey slipped through New Zealand's hands in Germany today (NZ time).

The Black Sticks drew their World Cup pool A match 4-4 with Pakistan in Monchengladbach and almost lost it in the last 30 seconds when the Pakistanis were awarded a penalty corner.

However, goalkeeper Paul Woolford blocked the shot from one of international hockey's leading goalscorers, Shakeel Abbasi, to maintain New Zealand's unbeaten run following yesterday's 3-0 over seventh ranked Argentina.

In the end the fifth ranked Pakistanis were ecstatic with the result and the ninth ranked Black Sticks disappointed.

"We believed before the game we were good enough to beat them and we almost did," New Zealand coach Kevin Towns told NZPA.

"At one stage I thought we could have won 5-3 but we had to bite our tongue in that last minute because we could have gone down 5-4 after all that good work."

In the best match of the World Cup so far, with the crowd kept entertained by the open attacking game by both teams, New Zealand conceded the lead three times. After Hayden Shaw blasted in their fourth goal from a penalty corner halfway into the second half, they looked on the way to victory.

Abbasi's skills, however, denied them that when he split the defence on the right and enabled Muhammad Zubair to equalise five minutes from fulltime.

The Pakistanis had the chance to wrap up the game in the last minute but Woolford, who made some brilliant saves against Argentina yesterday, thwarted their attempt from their fourth penalty corner.

New Zealand also had four penalty corners and scored from two of them and the other two came from their two penalty strokes, converted by Dean Couzins.

Pakistan scored their goals from two penalty corners, a penalty stroke and a field goal.

The first two goals of the match came from the penalty spot with Abbasi first and then Couzins converting for 1-1 after 16 minutes.

New Zealand then wasted no time in taking the lead with Blair Hopping finishing an excellent penalty corner variation with a low reverse stick deflection near the left post in the 18th minute.

That lead was short-lived, with Zubair swooping on a rebound off Woolford after a penalty corner routine broke down for the first of his two goals.

Just 30 seconds after the 2-2 halftime, New Zealand found space and took the ball into the circle to earn their second penalty stroke after Bevan Hari's diving shot was stopped by the foot of a Pakistan defender as it headed to goal.

Couzins again stepped up to the spot and sent Akbar the wrong to give New Zealand a 3-2 lead.

Not to be denied, Pakistan levelled again in the 43rd minute with a brilliant solo effort by Rehan Butt. The Pakistan striker took possession inside his own half and showed too much pace and guile for the New Zealand defence before launching a diving reverse stick shot that slipped through the pads of Woolford and clattered the backboard.

New Zealand had been in control of play until Butt's breakaway but the goal rejuvenated Pakistan for a period.

The Black Sticks did not allow the situation to get out of control though and resumed the earlier pattern before earning a penalty corner which Hayden Shaw converted midway through the half.

New Zealand were five minutes from recording successive wins against higher ranked opposition but conceded the lead for the third time in the match as Zubair got into good position to tap the ball in off Woolford's pads.

Shaw's younger brother Brad was one of New Zealand's best on the field, bringing off several vital tackles on the left side of the field.

New Zealand 4 (Dean Couzins 14th, 36th, Blair Hopping 18th, Hayden Shaw 53rd)
Pakistan 4 (Shakeel Abbasi 9th, Muhammad Zubair 21th, 65th, Rehan Butt 42nd).
Halftime: 2-2.

- NZPA