England out to taste revenge in last eight
Argentina’s Olympic winners await tomorrow Goalkeeper head over heels after beating Kiwis
At the longest World Cup in history, England are dining out off the pitch and doing cartwheels on it.
The men’s side, who are renting a local restaurant for a month to avoid sickness, overcame New Zealand 2-0. The clean sheet persuaded goalkeeper George Pinner to cartwheel in delight.
Pinner’s move, in full pads, was as assured as England’s victory. It set up a quarter-final tomorrow against Argentina, the Olympic champions, and a chance to atone for a bronze-medal defeat four years ago in The Hague.
After stuttering through the group stages, England now have two successive wins following World Cup debut goals from Will Calnan and Luke Taylor and a defence that forced the Blacksticks, who had more shots on goal, increasingly to try their luck from distance.
“It felt quite comfortable at times and we were unlucky not to score more,” said defender Michael Hoare. “We were given a game plan and we delivered on the little specifics. A couple of times we’ve switched off, but not tonight.”
New Zealand had more possession in the opening quarter but England were stronger in their tackles, created more turnovers and deserved to take the lead.
The impressive Liam Sanford sent a huge aerial pass forward from the halfway line in the 25th minute. It forced co-captain Phil Roper wide, but his four movements into the circle and scooped pass found Calnan at the far post. He volleyed home with a reverse tap to finish what had been a brilliant move.
Minutes later, Liam Ansell’s shot on the turn sped inches wide of Richard Joyce’s left post, while Pinner had to stand tall to pad away a volley-smash at the top of the circle.
After the break, Steve Jenness, New Zealand’s danger man, finally had the space to test Pinner, but his shot travelled over the bar.
England then found their rhythm in the third quarter with several direct moves.
At the other end, Pinner’s right pad saved England from a Kiwi equaliser, the follow-up looping over the bar. Little wonder Calnan, the Hampstead and Westminster forward, said afterwards it was “all such a blur”.
As the third quarter closed, England’s fourth penalty corner resulted in James Gall’s shot hitting a post but the return found Taylor, who dispatched into the top corner. England’s authority was evident when New Zealand opted for a kicking back with 10 minutes left, and soon England were celebrating a third consecutive World Cup lasteight berth.
With some teams facing six days in between matches, England’s decision to rent a restaurant and fly in their own chef looks to have paid dividends for altogether different reasons.
“Eating out breaks up the cabin fever for the day,” added Hoare.
“Sometimes, we’re complaining we’re not getting enough rest, but it keeps us on our toes. It has been crucial.”
Later, France’s fairy-tale World Cup continued when the world No20 and lowest-ranked side beat China 1-0 to set up a last-eight match with Australia, the double world champions.