Black day for two hockey giants

Press, 27 September 1988, Page 23

Black day for two hockey giants

NZPA-Reuter Seoul Hockey giants Pakistan and India were forced aside in the battle for semi-final places in the Olympic men’s tournament yesterday — the first time no Asian side has reached the last four since India entered the competition in 1928. The holder, Pakistan, and eight times champion, India, both failed.to force the draw they needed in their final group matches. Pakistan crashed 2-0 against the Netherlands in group A and India lost, 30, to Britain in group B.

West Germany, the 1984 Los Angeles Games silver medallist, thrashed the Soviet Union, 6-0, and faces the Dutch for a place in the final. Australia, unbeaten in group A, takes on Britain. Both games are tomorrow.

It is the second major tournament in which Pakistan and India have failed — they finished eleventh and twelfth in the 1986 World Cup. Brigadier Manzoor Atif, the former Pakistan captain and manager, said: “The main reason for the failure of India and Pakis-

tan is their lack of artificial pitches. The Netherlands have . 100 times more artificial surfaces.” Pakistan, playing with only four forwards, was beaten by two penalty comer goals by Floris Bovelander. He became joint top scorer in the tourna-

ment with Australia’s Mark Hager on seven goals. Second half goals from Paul Barber, Sean Kerly and Jon Potter sank India. Australia, the top seed and World Cup holder, managed only a 1-0 victory over Spain in an illtempered match. Nine players were cautioned and two from each side given temporary suspensions. The dismissed quartet were Graham Reid and Jay Stacy, of Australia and Innacio Escude and the goalkeeper, Santiago Grau, of Spain

Hockey rules were broken when Spain was allowed to play without a goalkeeper for the last two and a half minutes following Grau’s dismissal for jostling Stacy, who appeared to play the ball after the whistle. Earlier, Stacy scored Australia’s winner with a perfectly judged flick shot at a fifty-second minute penalty corner. West Germany recorded its seventeenth successive triumph over the Soviet Union. It was also by the biggest marein.