Bhubaneshwar: Mohammad Irfan scored two penalty corners in as many minutes as Pakistan bounced back to stun world number two the Netherlands 4-2 for a place in the Champions Trophy semi-finals yesterday.
World champions Australia, seeking what would be an incredible sixth successive title, also cruised into the last four with a 4-2 win over Argentina in the eastern Indian city.
In the other quarter-finals of the day, hosts India stunned Belgium 4-2 to set up a semi-final clash with Pakistan. Olympic champions Germany produced a perfect game to beat England 2-0 in an all-European battle en route their semi-final berth.
Pakistan, winless against the Dutch in their last 12 Champions Trophy meetings since 1998, had lost all three league matches in the current competition. But the tournament format, which ensured all eight teams a place in the knockout rounds, helped Pakistan turn their fortunes around in dramatic style.
A sixth-minute goal from Jeroen Hertzberger was equalised by Mohammad Bhutta in the second session before skipper Mohammad Imran converted a penalty corner to put Pakistan 2-1 ahead by half-time.
Constantijn Jonker drew Netherlands level soon after resumption, but the Dutch were handicapped in the fourth quarter after Sander Baart was benched with a yellow card for almost 10 minutes. Pakistan seized the opportunity and Irfan struck twice in quick succession to hand his team a shock win.
Pakistan coach Shahnaz Shaikh said the win over the Dutch, who had lost to India in their last league match, did not surprise him. “We had studied them very carefully and we had found the right combination in our league games,” the former international said. “This is a very important win for us and hopefully we will continue to shine.”
— Agencies
