Malaysia destroy Britain’s Olympic dreams

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Sydney: Malaysia staged a remarkable second-half comeback to snatch a 2-2 draw with Britain in their men's Olympic hockey Pool A match on Wednesday.

Down 2-0 with 12 minutes to play, Malaysia looked dead and buried, but goals from Zaini Nor Saiful and Raj Keevan, both from penalty corners, gained them a point.

The result ended any chance Britain had of making the semi-finals, but things could have been vastly different had they finished the match the way they started it.

After Craig Parnham opened the scoring in the 18th minute from a penalty corner, striker Mark Pearn grabbed his third goal of the tournament eight minutes later to provide a comfortable buffer.

But they lost their way after halftime, allowing Malaysia back into the game. Inspired by their former captain Nor Saiful and his fellow bandana wearer Bakar Nor Azlan, the nation which has never finished better than eighth at the Olympics, reeled in the lead.

They might even have won if Anwar Chairil had not missed an open goal in the final frantic seconds.

The Netherlands top Pool A with seven points from three games. Malaysia have two points and Britain just one.



(c) Reuters Limited.