Spectacular Argentina polish off New Zealand

14/10/2001

By Jugjet Singh in Hobart

HOBART: The first round of the Junior World Cup ended yesterday at the
Tasmanian hockey centre and Malaysia were the only team that upset the
formbook by not making the second round.
Australia, India, Spain, Germany, South Korea, Argentina, England and
Holland all moved into the second round while the other eight teams
"advance" to the losers pool.
Yesterday, Argentina polished New Zealand 3-0 with Lucas Cammareri, who
dribbled past three New Zealand defenders, opening accounts with a cheeky
field goal in the 11th minute.
Then in the 37th minute, Juan Gilardi, who had missed a penalty flick in
the first half, made amends when Argentina were awarded a second stroke.
In the 49th minute, Gilardi scored from the spot again as Argentina, who
thrashed Malaysia 5-0 on Thursday, brought their first round campaign to a
spectacular end.
"My boys played with character and they enjoyed themselves on the pitch
so much that the goals came without much effort.
"It is our style to play for fun and see what happens and it has worked
so far. We will play the same against India tomorrow (today)," said
Argentine coach Alejandro Verga.
India have an impressive record of three wins in their group but
Argentina are no pushovers and their form suggests that they could go all
the way in Hobart.
India coach Rajinder Singh feels the match could go either way.
"After watching them play against New Zealand, we are going to treat the
match against argentina like the final," said Rajinder.
In yesterday's other matches, South Korea edged a stubborn South Africa
4-3 to make the second round while Holland nailed france 2-0 to advance.
Today, Holland play champions Australia who limped into the second round
and are expected to face a tough time defending the crown they won in
Milton Keynes in 1997.
(END)