Belgium, Germany cemented their place in the quarterfinals from Pool A, throwing out Pakistan from the Hero Hockey Junior World Cup at the Major Dhyan Chand National Stadium here on Tuesday.
In the first match of the day, defending champion Germany spanked Egypt 6-0 with the help of braces from Niklas Bruns (19th minute, 68th minute) and Christopher Ruhr (42nd, 56th minute) and a field goal from skipper Mathias Muller (52nd minute). Egypt started on a bad note conceding an own goal in the fourth minute of the match. After that, on expected lines, the German team was all over the Egyptians.
With this win Germany took their tally to six points and was placed at second position in their group. Egypt, who were already out of the race, finished at the bottom zero points losing their all matches in the league round. But the Pakistanis, known for their lethal counter-attack, seemed like they were not bogged down by the qualification situation against Belgium, who were sitting at the top with six points and a goal margin of seven.
The Pakistan team, with the most number of international players, came up with their best performance. They controlled the proceedings from the start and didn’t allow the U-21 European champion to break free. Two brilliant goals from Muhammed Dilber in the 41st and 54th minute, put his team ahead 2-0 before the Belgium, egged on by the urgency, made swift attacks and equalized through Maxime Plennevaux’s brace in the 60th and 65th minute to draw the match and get a point to finish league round with seven points. They qualified to last-eight stage as the top team from their Pool.
After the game, a disappointed Pakistan coach Manzoor Ul Hassan said, “We all are very disappointed. They have been playing quite well for the last three months. It’s like a big setback for Pakistan hockey as this team was groomed to represent the senior team in the near future. The team played well in the first half but in the second half it came under pressure. They started on a positive note but during the game they missed very open chances. We will analyse what went wrong,” he told reporters. In other match, 2009 edition’s runners-up Netherlands scored a 7-0 win over Canada to take first position in Pool C with nine points.