IRELAND held Malaysia to a 1-1 draw to qualify for the final of the Olympic Qualifier in Dublin yesterday.
The Irish will play for the Olympics ticket against South Korea today.
Malaysia started aggressively, as they went looking for an early goal, in them and there was an air of confidence which was not evident in this tournament thus far.
However, Ireland won the first penalty corner of the match in the seventh minute, and the Malaysian confidence received a further boost when Shukri Mutalib easily slapped away the Irish flick.
Ireland dominated the match after that, but stout defending by Baljit Singh and goalkeeper S. Kumar keep the score at 0-0, with Malaysia relying on counter-attacks only.
Luck favoured the Malaysians time and again, as Ireland dominated but all their shots towards goal went wide to the amazement of the capacity crowd at the UCD grounds.
The Irish played one of their worst matches of the Qualifiers, and rode on their luck, as Tengku Ahmad Tajuddin's reverse stick 10 second from the first half break hit the post and went out.
Malaysia injected some hope into their campaign when just five minutes into second half, Nabil Fiqri scored off a goalmouth scramble and the match turned into a sizzler after that.
The ball went from post to post, while Malaysia look to increase their lead, while the Irish try to salvage their St Patricks celebrations as only 24 minutes remained in the match.
Ireland win their third penalty corner of the match in the 46the minute, but a super run-out by Baljit clears the ball.
Twenty-one minutes remain, and Malaysia hold onto the slim lead, but still, not a single penalty corner has been won by Tai Beng Hai's men until now.
An injury to Faizal Saari, and a green card to Madzli Ikmar reduces the strength of the Malaysian attack and defense as only 15 minutes remain in the match.
Ireland win their fourth penalty conrer in the 56th minute, but Baljit Singh runs out tlike a sprinter and takes the full force of the ball on his body. He is badly injured, but Malaysia stay alive.
Malaysia entered into troubled waters in the 60th minute, as Fitri Saari was shown the yellow card, to sit out for five minutes, and Ireland were awarded their fifth penalty corner.
That was what the Irish needed, and John Jermyn flicked home the equaliser and the tide turned on Malaysia after that.
Marhan Jalil was then flashed the yellow, and it further reduced Malaysia's chances to win the match as only five minutes remained.
FINAL: Ireland v South Korea (12midnight); THIRD-FOURTH: Malaysia v Russia (9.30pm).
Sunday, March 18, 2012
Saturday, March 17, 2012
Do-or-die for Malaysia...
RESULTS --- March 10: Malaysia 5 Chile 1, Ireland 6 Russia 1, South Korea 8 Ukraine 2.
March 11: Malaysia 6 Russia 2, Ukraine 0 Ireland 12, South Korea 6 Chile 1.
March 13: Ukraine 1 Malaysia 5, Russia 4 Chile 3, Ireland 1 South Korea 1.
March 15: Russia 2 Ukraine 0, Malaysia 2 South Korea 3, Chile 0 Ireland 3.
March 17: South Korea 5 Russia 1, Chile v Ukraine (8.30pm), Ireland v Malaysia (11pm).
March 18: Final and placing matches.
STANDINGS
P W D L F A Pts
S KOREA 5 4 1 0 23 7 13
IRELAND 4 3 1 0 22 2 10
MALAYSIA 4 3 0 1 18 7 9
RUSSIA 5 2 0 3 10 20 6
CHILE 4 0 0 4 5 18 0
UKRAINE 4 0 0 4 3 27 0
March 11: Malaysia 6 Russia 2, Ukraine 0 Ireland 12, South Korea 6 Chile 1.
March 13: Ukraine 1 Malaysia 5, Russia 4 Chile 3, Ireland 1 South Korea 1.
March 15: Russia 2 Ukraine 0, Malaysia 2 South Korea 3, Chile 0 Ireland 3.
March 17: South Korea 5 Russia 1, Chile v Ukraine (8.30pm), Ireland v Malaysia (11pm).
March 18: Final and placing matches.
STANDINGS
P W D L F A Pts
S KOREA 5 4 1 0 23 7 13
IRELAND 4 3 1 0 22 2 10
MALAYSIA 4 3 0 1 18 7 9
RUSSIA 5 2 0 3 10 20 6
CHILE 4 0 0 4 5 18 0
UKRAINE 4 0 0 4 3 27 0
Korea book final slot..
Korea beat Russia 5-1 in their last pool match to confirm their spot in the final of the Olympic Qualifier in Dublin.
Is legend of St Patrick just a bit of blarney? He was a runaway tax collector turned slave trader, says expert
By David Wilkes (http://www.dailymail.co.uk)
LEGEND has it St Patrick came to Ireland in the fifth century to spread the word of Christ – and banish snakes from its shores.
But as St Patrick's Day is celebrated today, it seems the patron saint's motives for leaving Roman Britain may have been less selfless than previously thought.
Researchers claim that St Patrick actually fled to Ireland to avoid becoming a tax collector. Once there, however, it is claimed he took up an even more dubious occupation – as a slave trader.
Patrick's father was a Decurion, a Roman official responsible for tax collection in Britain. But he used a bail-out clause in Roman law that allowed him to leave his post by joining the clergy on the condition the job was passed to his son.
Dr Roy Flechner, an expert in ancient and medieval history from Cambridge University, claims that Patrick, alarmed at the prospect of taking on the unpopular job, decided to emigrate.
As well as collecting tax (with any shortfall coming from the Decurion's own pocket), duties included road maintenance and the recruitment of soldiers.
'In the troubled era in which Patrick lived, which saw the demise and eventual collapse of Roman government in Britain in 410AD, discharging the obligations of a Decurion, especially tax-collecting, would not only have been difficult but also very risky,' said Dr Flechner, whose research is based on a new analysis of St Patrick's writings.
Patrick was forced to find a way of retaining some of the family estate – in the shape of slaves – to pay for his new life in Ireland.
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Dr Flechner said Patrick may have become a slave trader because it was the only way he could transfer his wealth from England, as Ireland did not have a monetary economy at the time.
Slaves were a highly valued commodity and Patrick's writings mention that his family owned several.
Dr Flechner said: 'It may seem strange that a Christian cleric of Patrick's stature would own slaves, but in late antiquity and the early middle ages the church was a major slave owner.
St Patrick's Day is celebrated the world over. Here drinkers give a cheers at McSorley's pub in New York, in the U.S.
St Patrick's Day is celebrated the world over. Here drinkers give a cheers at McSorley's pub in New York, in the U.S.
'The only objections to slavery were cases in which Christian slaves were owned by non-Christians.'
Dr Flechner claimed that the traditional legend of St Patrick's arrival in Ireland was invented by the man himself because that is how he wanted to be remembered.
He also questioned the part of the legend that says before his arrival as a missionary St Patrick spent six years as a young slave in Ireland himself. 'The probability that Patrick managed to cross from his alleged place of captivity in western Ireland back to Britain undetected, at a time when transportation was extremely complicated, is highly unlikely,' he said.
'None of this is to say that Patrick was not a bishop or that he did not engage in missionary activity, but his primary motives for moving to Ireland were most likely to escape the poisoned chalice of his inherited position in Roman Britain.'
LEGEND has it St Patrick came to Ireland in the fifth century to spread the word of Christ – and banish snakes from its shores.
But as St Patrick's Day is celebrated today, it seems the patron saint's motives for leaving Roman Britain may have been less selfless than previously thought.
Researchers claim that St Patrick actually fled to Ireland to avoid becoming a tax collector. Once there, however, it is claimed he took up an even more dubious occupation – as a slave trader.
Patrick's father was a Decurion, a Roman official responsible for tax collection in Britain. But he used a bail-out clause in Roman law that allowed him to leave his post by joining the clergy on the condition the job was passed to his son.
Dr Roy Flechner, an expert in ancient and medieval history from Cambridge University, claims that Patrick, alarmed at the prospect of taking on the unpopular job, decided to emigrate.
As well as collecting tax (with any shortfall coming from the Decurion's own pocket), duties included road maintenance and the recruitment of soldiers.
'In the troubled era in which Patrick lived, which saw the demise and eventual collapse of Roman government in Britain in 410AD, discharging the obligations of a Decurion, especially tax-collecting, would not only have been difficult but also very risky,' said Dr Flechner, whose research is based on a new analysis of St Patrick's writings.
Patrick was forced to find a way of retaining some of the family estate – in the shape of slaves – to pay for his new life in Ireland.
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Dr Flechner said Patrick may have become a slave trader because it was the only way he could transfer his wealth from England, as Ireland did not have a monetary economy at the time.
Slaves were a highly valued commodity and Patrick's writings mention that his family owned several.
Dr Flechner said: 'It may seem strange that a Christian cleric of Patrick's stature would own slaves, but in late antiquity and the early middle ages the church was a major slave owner.
St Patrick's Day is celebrated the world over. Here drinkers give a cheers at McSorley's pub in New York, in the U.S.
St Patrick's Day is celebrated the world over. Here drinkers give a cheers at McSorley's pub in New York, in the U.S.
'The only objections to slavery were cases in which Christian slaves were owned by non-Christians.'
Dr Flechner claimed that the traditional legend of St Patrick's arrival in Ireland was invented by the man himself because that is how he wanted to be remembered.
He also questioned the part of the legend that says before his arrival as a missionary St Patrick spent six years as a young slave in Ireland himself. 'The probability that Patrick managed to cross from his alleged place of captivity in western Ireland back to Britain undetected, at a time when transportation was extremely complicated, is highly unlikely,' he said.
'None of this is to say that Patrick was not a bishop or that he did not engage in missionary activity, but his primary motives for moving to Ireland were most likely to escape the poisoned chalice of his inherited position in Roman Britain.'
Saint Patrick's Day showdown
TODAY the whole of Ireland will be celebrating Saint Patrick's Day, and their hockey team will be banking on the luck of the Irish to make the Bank Holiday a memorable outing as well.With South Korea virtually in the final, unless they do the impossible and lose to Russia, Malaysia and Ireland will be lining up for the second ticket, or pick up the crumbs when the dust settles at the University College Grounds in Dublin.
The Irish started celebrating last weekend itself when their rugby players beat Scotland in a Six Nations match at the Aviva Stadium, and the taps have yet to stop pouring to satisfy the merry makers.
And there is no shortage of entertainment outlets here in Dublin, as every shopping district has more than five outlets and they have their pints very early here.
Green is the colour of the Irish, and the celebrations today will paint the town green, so to speak, as revellers pour onto the streets for parades and the must-have pint of black gold in a chilled mug famous the world over.
The cold pebbled streets in Dublin, especially around the Temple Bar area, were already feeling the heat and weight of a celebrating crowd on Thursday and Friday nights, and none will be left out of the merrymaking this weekend.
But the early indications are that our national players would break the hearts of the Irish, the second most friendliest people in the world after Malaysians, on the most important day of their lives.
And they would not need the Irish luck.
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