12 March,2010 07:12 AM IST | | Correspondent
Argentina skipper Lucas Rey Martin has a hidden agenda behind wanting to win tonight's seventh place play-off match against India in the World Cup. "In Argentina, football is everything. A hockey player is not even one-tenth as big as our footballers. However, India being a traditional hockey-playing country, if we can pull off a win against them, we might just be able to earn a bit of respect back home. Hockey in Argentina will receive a boost," Martin told MiD DAY.
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Aussie skipper Liam de Young strikes at goal during their 2-1 win over Netherlands in the semi-final of the hockey World Cup yesterday.u00a0 PIC/AFP |
Minutes after reports emerged that Pakistan Hockey Federation president Qasim Zia had sacked the national hockey team's management and dissolved the selection committee after the team finished last after losing 2-3 to Canada, it was learnt that the team members too had offered to quit given their side's worst-ever performance in a World Cup. One scribe had a rather funny take to the whole incident. "If only the Pakistan team would've known in advance that they would perform so miserably here, I'm sure they would not have turned up for the event at all. They even had valid reasons, like a security threat to the event and the recent Indian Premier League auction fiasco, to stay away."
Chance pe dance for Germans, Aussies
Both German and Australian skippers yesterday told MiD DAY that they were able to reach the final of the World Cup as they were not afraid to go all out and grab the chances that came their way in the semi-finals yesterday.
"We got our earliest chance in the 5th minute through a penalty corner and converted. We were able to take control of the match from that moment on," Germany captain Maxmilian Muller said after his team beat England
4-1 in the first semi-final at the Dhyan Chand Stadium.
Australia meanwhile didn't have it easy against the Netherlands, and won 2-1.
"We knew the team that makes fewer mistakes would win and I'm glad we were able to convert the very first penalty corner we got. It was a close game though and we only held a slight edge," Aussie captain Liam de Young said.
