Argentina downs Malaysia to book finals berth

IPOH, Malaysia: Argentina made it to the finals of the Sultan Azlan Shah Cup after a 1-0 victory over hosts Malaysia yesterday, while favorites Britain saw their dream of a championship title crumble.
Argentina, the 2008 champions, will meet New Zealand today, in the finals of the Malaysian tournament which this year is an important last warmup for the London Olympics.
But the South Americans will go into the last round with considerable trepidation, given that at an earlier meeting in the tournament they were crushed 5-2 by the Kiwis.
It was heartbreak for Britain, however, as they watched powerless from the stands as Argentina’s one goal against Malaysia denied them a chance to play in the final.
New Zealand had already booked their final berth on Thursday. But they failed to maintain their unbeaten record, falling to a 0-1 defeat to South Korea, with Jang Jong-Hyun scoring the winner in the 68th minute.
At an earlier match in the Malaysian city of Ipoh, Britain came back from one goal down to beat Pakistan 2-1.
Britain’s narrow victory allowed Argentina to play calmly and to concentrate on a simple win against Malaysia to qualify for the finals.
Argentina scored in the 39th minute when a low drag flick by Pedro Ibarra went through the pads of Malaysian goalkeeper S. Kumar.
But it was a difficult day for Pakistan, with the Asian champions finishing in last place following their defeat to Britain.
Previously, the Pakistanis lowest ever ranking had been sixth place in 2007, when there were eight teams in the competition.
Pakistan coach K.M. Junaid said one of the key reasons for his side’s dismal performance was the inclusion of six juniors, who had played in the Junior Asia Cup early May in Malaysia.
“We now realize that it was asking too much from these youngsters who could not cope with the demands of playing in back-to-back tournaments,” he said.
Britain coach Jason Lee said the team that played in the competition would be retained for the Olympics, except for two players who would be left out.
“It has been a good tournament for me as we had a variety of opponents and I picked up a lot of pointers that will serve us well this summer,” he said.
Britain will play India for third place while Malaysia, the only team in the tournament who have not qualified for the Olympics, and South Korea will battle for fifth position. All the matches will be played today.