Published>Fri, Mar 12 10 07:47 PM
New Zealand scored in the last minute of the regulation time and then held on to their nerves to beat South Africa 9-8 via sudden death penalty shootout to finish ninth in the hockey World Cup here on Friday.
New Zealand captain Dean Couzins scored from the spot in the sudden death after both sides were tied 4-4 in the penalty shootout and 4-4 in the regulation time.
In the regulation time, New Zealand scored 30 seconds before the final hooter through hat-trick man Andrew Hayward form a penalty corner. In the penalty shootout, Couzins, Hayward, Shea Mcaleese and Nicholas Wilson scored for New Zealand while Ryan Archibald missed the target.
For South Africa, Lloyd Madsen, Justin Reid Ross, Ian Haley and Gareth Carr scored in the penalty shootout while Wade Paton missed the target. After both sides were tied 4-4 in the penalty shootout, Couzins again stepped out to make it 5-4 and win the match.
Earlier, in a high-scoring match between the two fifth-place teams of Pool A and Pool B, six goals came in the second session after South Africa had taken a 1-0 lead at the breather in front of a sparse crowd at Major Dhyan Chand Stadium.
Justin Reid Ross (fourth minute), Lloyd Norris Jones (45th), Taine Paton (50th) and Thomas Hammond (57th) scored for South Africa.
In the regulation time, Andrew Hayward scored a hat-trick (42nd, 49th and 70th minutes) for New Zealand -- second in the tournament after Dutch drag-flicker Taeke Taekema -- while Hugo Inglis found the target once in the 40th minute. New Zealand converted two penalty corners from the four they got in the match while South Africa scored once from the two penalty corners they had.
Most of the early play was dominated by South Africa and they forced two penalty corners as against one by the Kiwis. South Africa took the lead with Justin Reid Ross sending a drag flick to the upper right corner of New Zealand goal on their second penalty corner.
The Black Sticks put pressure on their opponents in the last 10 minutes of the first half but failed to give the finishing touches.
In the 27th minute, Shea Mcaleese shot was brilliantly saved by South African goalkeeper Erasmus Pieterse. Two minutes later, Nicholas Wilson failed to trap the ball off a cross from the right by Steven Edwards in front of an open South African goal. In the 40th minute, Ryan Archibald, who has become the most capped Black Stick, dodged past a couple of defenders inside the Proteas striking circle and sent a perfect cross from the left for Hugo Inglis to just tap into the open goal.
Two minutes later (42nd), New Zealand took the lead form their second penalty corner of the match. Andrew Hayward's powerful drag flick zoomed past the South African goalkeeper to hit the top left corner of the net.
South Africa took just three minutes to restore parity with Lloyd Jones Norris scoring one of the best goals in this World Cup with his low running hit from the top of New Zealand striking circle.
New Zealand got their fourth penalty corner in the 49th minute and it was Haywards again to find the South Arican net with his drag-flick to make the scoreline 3-2.
South Africa took just one minute to equalise with Taine Paton slamming home from the left side of the striking circle. It was the turn of South Africa to take the lead with Thomas Hammond slamming home after Julian Hykes' shot from just inside the striking circle sets the ball up in the air. Just as it looked like all over for New Zealand, they got their fifth penalty corner of the match 30 second before the final whistle and Hyward found the target to score his third goal of the match and level the score 4-4.
Source: Web Search
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