Hockey: First precious points set up showdown in heat

New Zealand won't just be sweating in the 40C heat when they try to keep their slim medal hopes intact against India today.

They also face a tense wait when they will cheer on South Africa to cause an upset and beat or draw with Australia, then the Netherlands to beat Australia as well.

Coach Kevin Towns' troops finally claimed the first points from their Olympic tournament with a clinical 3-1 win over Argentina yesterday.

If Australia win today as expected, New Zealand's hopes are gone even if they win their last two over India and South Africa, and they will be rueing their 3-4 loss to the Dutch in a thriller.

For now, all they can do is beat the unpredictable Indians in sweltering conditions more akin to Delhi than Dunedin.

The worst-affected will be heavily padded goalkeeper Paul Woolford, whose reliable saves kept New Zealand in the game against Argentina.

"That'll be a huge test in the heat," he said. "We've done a lot of preparation in Barcelona and it'll be just as hard for both teams."

There was drama aplenty yesterday, with two players from each side yellow-carded and New Zealanders Mitesh Patel and James Nation both taking fearful knocks to the head from the ball.

Patel had a deep cut under his left eye while Nation took a smack on his jaw.

Things didn't look great early on, with a goal to Argentina in the seventh minute.

Hayden Shaw, though, levelled four minutes later from a penalty corner, then New Zealand kept control well and scrambled when Argentina threatened on the break.

Bevan Hari and Phillip Burrows added second-half goals to put the result beyond doubt.

Coach Towns admitted the playoffs were a remote hope, but anything could happen. "It's a huge relief today, it's been a long path to get three points."

- NZPA