New Zealand held their nerves to beat South Africa on penalties and finish ninth in the hockey World Cup.
In a match where fortunes fluctuated from one side to another, it was New Zealand who held their nerves to beat South Africa 5-4 on penalty strokes at Dhyan Chand National Stadium on Friday.
The match had ended 4-4 after extra-time. Andrew Hayward struck a hat-trick for the Kiwis, while Hugo Inglis scored one. Justin Reid-Ross, Llyod Norris-Jones, Taine Paton and Thomas Hammond netted once each for the Proteas.
The Africans dictated most of the early play, making early in roads into the Kiwi circle and they were rewarded as early as the fourth minute. Ried-Ross slammed the ball into the top-right corner to make it 1-0 in favour of the Proteas.
The Black Sticks responded immediately, but Nicholas Winlson's shot was fended off by keeper Erasmus Pieterse.
Both the teams kept pushing forward but could not change the scoreline till the end of the first-half.
If the first session of play was a drought, the second was indeed a flood. The South Africans continued from where they had left in the first half. They were aggressive, but could not find the back of the net and saw the Kiwis equalize through Inglis in the 40th minute.
Two minutes later, Hayward converted a penalty corner to give Kiwis the lead. The Africans made it 2-2 in the 45th minute.
Jones-Norris capitalized on a defensive error and made a brilliant run in the New Zealand circle and struck from the edge of the circle to equalize for his team.
The Kiwis again had their noses ahead in the 49th minute. Hayward fired a drag-flick in the right corner to make it 3-2.
The Proteas got back in the level in the very next minute. Paton picked up the ball in the Kiwi circle and fired it into the bottom right corner.
Both teams used their energy they were conserving in the early part of the game with end-to-end attacks.
The South Africans, looking for their best finish at the World Cup, again got the lead 13 minutes from time through Hammond.
But the Kiwis were relentless in their attacks and found the equalizer in the very last minute. Hayward completed his hat-trick to push the game into extra-time.
The two sides were cautious in the extra period and made very few attempts on goal.
Both the teams could not find the golden goal, and the fate of the match was to be decided by penalty strokes.
The Kiwis held their nerves to win the match 5-4 on penalties.
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