New Zealand edge Argentina to make the grade for Beijing

The New Zealand hockey team grabbed one of the three remaining places in the Beijing Olympics when they won the first qualifying event held in Auckland yesterday.

The Kiwis defeated Argentina 3-2 in the final of the six-team event.

France finished third after beating Ireland 2-1 while Trinidad and Tobago came in fifth with a 1-0 win over the United States.

In the final yesterday, New Zealand grabbed the winner through a golden goal by Brad Shaw in the last minute extra time after the match ended 2-2 in regulation time.

The other Kiwi scorers were David Koosof (49th minute) and Hayden Shaw (66th) while the Argentines replied through Lucas Vila (24th) and Mati Vila (52nd).

This is the second time that the Argentines have failed to make the grade for the Beijing Olympics. Last year, they lost in the final of the Pan-American Cup to Canada, who went on to secure the automatic berth from the continent.

The other two countries for the remaining places will be known after the qualifiers in Chile and Japan.

The second qualifiers, to be held in Santiago from March 1-9, will feature India, Britain, Chile, Austria, Bangladesh and Mexico.

The third qualifiers, to be held in Kakamigahara, Gifu in Japan from April 5-13, will have Malaysia, Germany, Japan, Switzerland, Poland and Italy in the fray.

The teams who had earlier qualified for Beijing are Australia, China, South Korea, Pakistan, Holland, Spain, Canada, South Africa and Belgium.