Korea hammer Pakistan 4-1 in Olympic practice game

Thursday, 07 August 2008

From Abdul Mohi Shah

BEIJING: Pakistan were given an early scare before the start of the Olympic hockey competition as Korea thrashed them 4-1 in a practice match here at the National Hockey Stadium on Wednesday.

Pakistan were comfortably placed 1-0 at the breather before Korea unleashed an all out attack to send four goals past a hapless Pakistan goalkeeper in the second session.

Pakistan were put in front in the 27th minute by Imran Warsi, who held on to his nerves, sending a low penalty corner shot into the Korean team net.

In the second session, Korea unleashed an all out attack to stun the Pakistanis. Two of the goals came from penalty corners while the other two through the field efforts.

Kim Sam Seok struck twice while a goal each for Korea came through Ko Dong and Lee Jae.

Pakistan forward line played well before the breather as they were seen making efforts with force and stamina. However, once the game got into the second half Pakistani players lost their power and rhythm and conceded countless mistakes especially from the left flank. In between the match, centre half Muhammad Saqlain sustained injury and it took almost ten minutes for doctors on the sideline to stop his bleeding nose.

“Everything went according to the plan in the first half. However, once the action moved into the second half, our players lost the momentum and the control of the ball,” Pakistan head coach Khawaja Zakauddin said.

He was furious at the players for not acting according to the game plan in the second half. “We gave too much space to the Koreans in the second half and they utilised it perfectly,” said Zaka.

Zaka termed the defeat as a timely warning.

“This is a timely warning for players to get their act together. Any leniency at any time means a disaster as we have seen today. I do not think my players lack stamina. What they are lacking at is to follow the game plan. You canít give opening to teams like Korea. A bit of space and Koreans would be all over you.”

Pakistan are to play against New Zealand in the second warm-up match at the same venue here today.

“Pakistan have got another chance to mend the gaps and play their normal game. I have told the boys in a post match meeting today not to repeat the mistakes they have been committing,” Zaka said.

Source: http://www.fieldhockey.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=5034&Itemid=1

I haven't seen the match on TV or anything, but as the article suggests Pakistani team gave away too much space and got lenient after the 1-0 score. Hasn't complacency always been the main problem of the Pakistan hockey team? I think I've also written something on it before.

I've watched the recent Pakistan hockey team a lot. My humble observation is that in comparison to the top five teams in the world, Pakistan lacks solid defensive field play. Whenever the ball is lost on the midfield the attackers, wingers and midfield players don’t pressurize the opposition to regain lost possession. Also, the opposition is allowed to build up and pass freely from back to midfield. No pressure is applied whatsoever to gain possession of the ball. The dirty work is left for the defenders to clean up. This is a big weakness in my opinion. The forwards, midfield and wingers need to switch from an offensive to a defensive mode whenever the ball is with the opposition. I've noticed that the top 5 teams posses this quality. Exactly the reason why the games usually end up in a tight draw or in a low scoring match. The top teams keep each other deadlocked and play is usually tight due to strong defensive play style. Hasn’t a solid defensive backbone become a must for success in modern day hockey? Isn't it bread and butter? Am I right? Does any coach or anyone with hockey knowledge agree with my observation?