For the seven participating teams the annual invitational Azlan Shah Cup is perhaps the last final major tune-up before the London Games. All teams, with the exception of host Malaysia, are qualified for the Games. Organizers have even gone so far as to use a blue pitch, similar to the one that will be used at the Olympics, in the event.
To view complete stories of all the games, please go to the official site for the tournament. Below are small recaps from the daily action.
Day 6:
New Zealand recovered from it's loss against Great Britain yesterday in grand fashion with a convincing 4-1 win against host Malaysia. The victory put New Zealand back in pole position with a whopping 12 points in five games.
In the most highly anticipated game of the day, India claimed bragging rights against Pakistan with a thrilling 2-1 win. Sowmarpet Vitalacharya Sunil scored for India in the 69th minute to secure the win. The win was crucial for the Indians, who now have nine points, and in the top three in the standings. The loss sent Pakistan to the caboose of the standings table.
In the early game, Great Britain and Korea finished in a 1-1 draw. Each team has two draws to their credit in the evenly balanced event.
Day 5:New Zealand suffered its first loss of the Azlan Shah Cup at the hands of Great Britain in a 2-1 decision. New Zealand trailed the entire game and only got on the board with eight minutes left in action. Despite the loss, New Zealand still sits in first place after four games with nine points.
Argentina is also on nine points after taking a 3-2 win against India in today’s early game. The Argentines have played five games and have wins in three.
Pakistan and Malaysia are struggling at the bottom of the standings and were looking for any points to help push them upwards. Malaysia took bragging rights in its first regulation win of the tournament with a 3-2 victory. The Malaysians now sit in fifth place with five points. The loss sent Pakistan to the bottom of the standings with three points in four games.
Day 4:
New Zealand was idle but still sita atop the standings with nine points in three games. Thanks to Day 4 wins, India and Argentina closed the gap and sit at six points each, but have one more game than New Zealand. India earned a 3-2 win against Malaysia, while Argentina topped Great Britain by the same score. In the third game of the day, Korea blanked Pakistan, 4-0.
Day 3:
New Zealand continued to plow through the competition, claiming a 3-1 win against Pakistan. New Zealand stis atop the standings with the full nine points in three games. Great Britain is the closest competitor with four points in two outings. Great Britain picked up the bulk of its points in its seoncd game of the event, a 3-2 win against India. In the third game of the day, Argentina topped South Korea, 4-3. Korea sits at the bottom of the standings with just one point in three games.
Day 2:
New Zealand remained the team to beat at the Azlan Shah Cup in Malaysia. They put on another show of offense in a decisive 5-2 win over Argentina. India picked up its first points of the event with a 2-1 win against Korea. Rounding out the day’s action was the debut of Great Britain, which had to settle for a 3-3 tie against host Malaysia. It was Malaysia’s second tie in as many games.
Day 1:
In opening day action of the Azlan Shah Cup in Malaysia, New Zealand stole the spotlight with a 5-1 victory against India. In the other two games, Pakistan topped Argentina, 4-2 and in the late game Korea and Malaysia battled to a 1-1 draw.
