England Under-21 Men forced to settle for a draw against NZ
8th December 2013
NEW ZEALAND U21 2 (0)
Kane Russell 39 (PC)
Matt Rees-Gibbs 68 (FG)
ENGLAND U21 2 (2)
James Gall 14 (FG)
Luke Taylor 27 (PC)
ENGLAND Under-21 Men were left disappointed after letting a two-goal lead slip against New Zealand in the Hero Hockey Junior Men’s World Cup in New Delhi, India, on Sunday.
The result means that they must beat group leaders Malaysia on Monday and hope that the other result goes their way for them to progress.
England dominated the first half and could have put the game out of sight by the break but missed a series of good chances. However, they did take a 2-0 lead in the first half with goals from Surbiton’s James Gall and Luke Taylor of East Grinstead.
After 14 minutes of play, Beeston’s Joseph Sharp brought a great save from New Zealand’s keeper after a strong run. Gall was alive to the rebound and found the target to put England 1-0 up.
Then, on 27 minutes, Luke Taylor doubled England’s advantage. He collected the ball from a short corner before unleashing a shot to the left of the keeper, finding the roof of the net.
But England also missed a string of well-worked chances and were made to pay in the second half. Just four minutes after the restart, New Zealand were awarded a short corner but England appealed against the decision.
However, after a referral, the referee stood by his decision and from the resulting set-piece, Kane Russell swept the ball in to pull one back for New Zealand.
It looked as though England might still claim victory until, with just two minutes left to play, they were dispossessed on the edge of the D and Matt Rees-Gibbs hit the equaliser.
John Bleby, Head Coach, said after the game: “It was an excellent performance and everyone gave it their all.
“We’ve just got to hope that we beat Malaysia and that the other result goes our way now so that we can qualify for the quarter finals.”