German coach all praise for his boys

“We played far better than the way we played in the first match (which they drew 2-2 against Korea),” said Weise. “We controlled the game for ninety percent of the time. So I am happy with it,” he added.

Though still unhappy with the pitch, Weise said his team was getting used to the bounce, as apparent in the three penalty corner goals they struck in the match.

Teen sensation Florian Fuchs might have netted two goals in the game, but Weise was unimpressed with his play. “He didn’t play well, didn’t contribute much to the team’s cause. He is young and is still learning but if he can score two goals without playing well, then it’s good, isn’t it?” he asked.

Weise agreed that this tournament has turned to be a highly competitive one. “Earlier there used to be a big gap between the top four teams and the rest. I don’t see it anymore and that is very good for hockey,” he said.

After edging Argentina 2-1 with a goal right at the death, Korea’s coach Shin Seok Kyo said his team needed to improve to move into semifinals. “It was a tough tame, luckily the penalty corner goal came to our rescue,” he said.

Argentines were understandably dejected about the result but their coach Pablo Lombi tried to find some positives from the loss. “It is a difficult result to digest for us. But we pushed Korea hard and it is good for us. Ours is a young and inexperienced team and the players are on a learning curve. This experience will help us in the future,” he said.