Exotic efforts by Pakistani forwards were moments to relish in the second convincing victory over India on a sunny afternoon at the astroturf of Amstelveen.
Played at a furious pace the contest provided an exhilarating fare to the spectators and the cheering Pakistani supporters were happy that their country took the third spot and India was relegated to the last position in this four-nation Robobank trophy skirmish. Roelant Oltmans must be concerned over the chasm that divides the Asians from the Europeans as both Germany and the Netherlands won their matches against the two former Olympic champions through their athelticism and vigour. It is another thing that Pakistan was on the threshold of success against the Dutch but for lack of sense of opportunism in the 'D' they failed to upset the applecart of the Occidental heavyweights.
In the battle of the European giants it was Germany which carried away the laurels of this competition. However, it was a high-voltage game in which the whirligig of pendulum swayed to and too and it was only for minutes from the final hooter that the Germans were successful in finding the target to come out victorious with what was a this margin of 5-4. In fact in the latter portion of the second session the Germans were better organised and controlled their forces in a more orderly way than the Dutch.
Anyway the speed and thrust displayed by the two sides were admirable and enjoyable and none of the finalists could be called superior to the other. It was only a surprise goal that gave cup of joy to the world champions. But both should be reckoned as among the top contenders for the sought after Olympic honours, maybe the outcome carried considerable significance so near the Athens fiesta.
In the needle match against India there was a danger of the initiative being snatched by it when Gangan Ajit Singh, a noted sharp-shooter, struck to boards with a stunner of a drive from an angular position in the circle. This was in the 47th minute of the duel but the Indians failed to spray clipping passes to unsettle the Pakistani defence. Besides, Dhanraj Pillay, the fulcrum in the outings some months ago, has become almost a spent force, having slowed in his energetic runs and having lost the capacity of delectable dribbles.
The watches of the tie live on TV from far-off Amsterdam find fault in excessive emphasis on defence by India. This contributed largely to the second defeat as soon after Gamgan's splendid goal, which put India ahead by 3-2, Pakistan evened the sores when Sohail Abbas was blocked Rehan Butt bewildered the goalie with the pace and angle of his shot. In the closing moments of the trial of strength Pakistan had quite an ascendancy over the Indians for the former had the right blend of defence and attack and soon Sohail Abbas rose to the occasion to make the score 4-3. It was hits second withering hit into the citadel, via a penalty corner award. Rehan Butt sealed the fate of the match in favour of Pakistan with a two-goal difference in a score-sheet of 5-3.
The Indians could not win a single match in this four-nation tournament where the weather was throughout pleasant. It is to seen how they fare in another pre-Olympic competition in Dusseldorf where Germany and Britain would to be tough contestants.
Surprising to see was Indian employing the ploys of the Europeans with 4+4+3 tactics. This made it difficult for Pakistan to make effective and repeated roads into the Indian zone. But the Indians had become papably lethargic in attacks and tentative in the 'D'. One could see many sitters being sent astray in the 'D'. And when Probhjot Singh, one of the sure hitters in the Indian band, fumbled in the circle the panic in the Indian forward-line was quite in evidence.
The commentators thought that better utilisation of the penalty corner awards was the main reason of Pakistan's success. Four of the goals came from the penalty corner drives, in which Sohail Abbas, the lethal flicker, was in full form. Two of his shots were devastating enough to make the custodian helpless under the bar. Two more were indirect strikes from the rebound. But the front men of Pakistan, nippy and nifty as they were, attacked with gusto only to be checked by the Indian rear-line and the middlers, who were defending in groups, discarding the Indian mode of 3+2. The Dutch experience has proved to be better than the earlier sojourns in England and Germany. Certainly many loopholes have to be covered up before the Olympics. The middlers have to show move vigour in tackles and distribution work. Time and again the passes have to be turned over to the flanks. This is the real and true Asian model. The coach was happy after the Indian match but he thought consistency was necessary to deal with the variegated patterns of the Europeans. However, he was of the opinion that if the formation plays 80 percent at its peak even against the Europeans the team would hold firm.
The Indians are so disappointed that they have shown the door to two of their deputy coaches and brought in new ones. But what about the system and tactics of the winning combinations of yore?