Britain’s Stunner Helps the Netherlands

Britain’s shocking 2-1 victory over Germany in the final Pool A men’s field hockey preliminary match Tuesday has thrown defending Olympic champion the Netherlands a lifeline.

After losing to Pakistan, 2-0, in their its pool match, the Netherlands looked to have kissed the semifinals goodbye, but the British came to the rescue with their first victory of the tournament.

Needing only a draw to move into the semifinals, the Germans looked safe when captain Christian Mayerhoefer gave them a 1-0 lead early in the second half. Britain refused to lie down, however, drawing even on a goal by Craig Parnham in the 41st minute and stealing victory when Calum Giles converted a penalty corner with five minutes to play.

Pakistan, which will play South Korea in the semifinals, finished on top of Pool A with nine points, with the Netherlands and Germany tying for second with eight. The Netherlands moves to the semifinals, where it will play Australia, by virtue of having scored four more goals than Germany during the preliminary rounds.