Hockey: NZ team rue defeat

By TERRY MADDAFORD

A bitterly disappointed New Zealand men's hockey team face an uphill battle to keep their Olympic dreams alive after slumping to a 2-0 loss to hosts Japan in the qualifying tournament in Osaka yesterday.

Japan scored a goal in each half - both from penalty corners - to send the favoured Kiwis reeling.

"We are very disappointed," said coach Robin Wilson. "In the first half we perhaps lacked a little of the intensity we were looking for but in the second we completely dominated but could not score. Simply, we did not do enough.

"Realistically, our chances of reaching the semifinals - by finishing in the top two in our pool - and a guaranteed place in the Olympics are slim but we can still get there by finishing in the top four and getting through as a top six finisher."

Wilson said it has been a very demanding tournament with Spain, Pakistan and Korea clearly the best teams in the 12-team competition.

"It is a bit of a scramble among the rest," he said. "If we could take a point off Korea on Wednesday and then beat Poland on Thursday we could still finish second although we would probably be dependent on Great Britain dropping points to Poland and Belgium."

Wilson said much of the team's practice on today's rest day would centre on penalty corners both attacking and defensive.

"We had seven penalty corners in the second half against Japan and could not score. Then, when they won one [after just three minutes] we let them score. It was not good enough."