Head coach Bobby Crutchley believes his Great Britain hockey side are capable of beating the best after victory over Pakistan set up a Hockey World League semi-final clash with Australia.
First-half strikes from Chris Griffiths and Alastair Brogdon put the Brits in control but a 48th minute strike from Muhammad Umar Bhutta made for a tense finish.
Crutchley’s men started well and dominated the first half with Griffiths scoring a spectacular goal in the fourth minute before the lead was doubled five minutes later.
Pakistan refused to give up though and Britain had to dig deep to see out the final 12 minutes.
However, they came through in the end and move a step closer to qualification for Rio 2016
“It was job done really. I’m pleased we got through,” said Crutchely. “There were a lot of key performances in the team and we showed we can work hard when the games get tight.
“We started well and dominated early but the conditions meant we couldn’t keep up the intensity and didn’t take the game away from them which made it tight.
“Having said that they didn’t create a lot of chances and I felt we were the better side. Without doubt the conditions played a part, but even in the second half we created the better chances.
“A good start was important but we did well even though they came back strongly.
“We’ll prepare well for Australia. It’ll be a tough game but we’re looking forward to it. We played them a couple of times recently and had a win and a loss. We showed we’re capable of beating them and we’ll be hoping to do it again.”
© Sportsbeat 2015