"Pakistan played like Europeans"

Australian coach Ric Charlesworth admitted he was taken aback by the killer instinct of the Pakistan players on Monday evening. When Pakistan played the hot favourites in their last group match after a demoralising loss to minnows South Africa in their previous tie, they looked a different unit from what they have been so far in the tournament.

The Aussie coach said the Green Shirts surprised him by the way they attacked on the field, "It was a paradox that Pakistan were attacking more and we were on the defence and played an offensive game. They were like the Europeans players on the pitch tonight"

He added the Kookaburras were quite wary of the four-time world champions despite their flop show in the hockey World Cup, "We didn't underestimate Pakistan. In this situation we could have relaxed. But they beat Spain earlier, so we never underestimated them."

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Speaking of the missed chances, the Aussie coach was not too pleased with his team that failed to make its chances count. "We had 12 chances and they had four or five. We missed too many. It could have easily been a draw. But, we were just able to pull one towards the end to get out of it. We have been working on our ability to finish. We've a lot of work to do."

Though pleased with his team's 2-1 victory that helped it top the Pool B table, Aussie skipper Mark Knowles agreed with his coach that they have a lot to work to do as they enter the semifinals, "It was an interesting end. We have finished at the top which is nice. We're looking tough. This is a good group. At this stage it's nice. But we have a lot to improve."

At the Pakistan camp, coach Shahid Ali Khan did most of the talking at the post-match press conference. Khan admitted consistency has now become a perennial problem for his team, "Consistency from our players continues to be an issue. But, it was pleasing to see the boys so confident on the field tonight. We were motivated to do well in this match. So, we devised a strategy to be defensive against them. We looked good to win, but they got one in the last few minutes." Too close, yet too far for the Pakistanis!