Pakistan hockey captain Mohammad Saqlain said losing the final of Commonwealth Games hockey event to Australia was a big disappointment for him and he was not looking forward to this result.
"I was not expecting that kind of result but a 10-member Pakistan team failed to co-ordinate in the second half after Tariq Aziz was suspended for the rest of the game," he said here on Sunday after the 3-0 loss.
He said he was excited that his team managed to reach in the first ever final of the Games but things turned in the wrong direction and our problems were compounded which eventually resulted in defeat."
"I would say we could do better in the second half and it is not fair to expect good results from a 10-member team playing our opponents who were at full strength," he added.
Saqlain said Pakistan did well against Australia in the first half and they were planning to equalise in the second half but a severe punishment to Tariq proved the turning point of the match for them.
"Then onward we failed to play our natural game and we could not see things going our way and Australia reaped the benefit and beat us," he said.
He said the team put up a good show in the first half but they could not maintain their usual play in the second session.
"For us it is a big disappointment to lose the final and I am really frustrated that we failed to win the gold, " he stated.
He praised the efforts of goalkeeper Salman Akbar who made numerous saves under the bar besides thwarting most of the midfield efforts of the Australians.
Saqlain said however, winning the silver medal is some consolation for the Pakistan team.
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