PARIS, July 30 (Xinhua) -- Lee Morton scored two late goals on Tuesday as Britain came from behind to draw 2-2 with tournament favorites the Netherlands in Pool A of the Paris 2024 men's hockey competition.
The game started in a cagey fashion, with neither side having many clear-cut chances across the first two periods, and the score remained 0-0 after the first 30 minutes of action.
The Netherlands began to turn the screw in the third quarter, and took the lead on 44 minutes when Floris Wortelboer fired home from a tight angle after Britain goalkeeper Ollie Payne had parried Thijs van Dam's original effort.
Though Britain tried to hit back immediately, with efforts from Rupert Shipperley and Samuel Ward both being blocked by defenders, it was the Netherlands who doubled their lead in the 52nd minute, when the lively Van Dam turned a defender and fired home.
Team GB halved their deficit three minutes later, when Morton dribbled from the left touchline to fire home a fine individual effort, and the team then promptly withdrew Payne for another outfield player, as they threw everything forward in search of an equalizer.
Britain's brave approach was rewarded with just one minute of play left, when a penalty corner saw David Ames' effort parried into the path of Morton, who unleashed an unstoppable half-volley to break Dutch hearts and ensure a share of the spoils.
Elsewhere in Pool A, Spain pulled back from 2-0 down to draw 3-3 with hosts France in the day's first game. Two quick goals from Timothee Clement had put France ahead by the end of the first quarter, but Alvaro Iglesias and Rafael Villalonga drew Spain level by the 32-minute mark.
France took the lead again through Victor Charlet, but Pepe Cunill's 51st minute effort ensured a share of the spoils.
Pool A's following game saw Germany thrash South Africa 5-1. Gonzalo Peillat put Germany ahead in the first minute, with a quickfire double from Christopher Ruhr and Justus Weigand seeing the eventual winners 3-0 up by the end of the second quarter.
Matthew Guise-Brown pulled one back for South Africa on 35 minutes, but Peillat's second restored Germany's three-goal lead, before Mats Grambusch added a fifth two minutes before the end.
In Pool B, a double from Harmanpreet Singh saw India ensure their qualification for the knockout stages by defeating Ireland 2-0, while the day's later games saw Argentina withstand heavy pressure to defeat New Zealand 2-0 thanks to goals from Tomas Domene and Lucas Martinez.
In Tuesday's evening fixture, a hat-trick from Tom Boon helped Belgium to a 6-2 win over Australia that also ensured their place in the quarterfinals. Alexander Hendrickx gave Belgium the lead, before Boon scored his first to give his side a 2-0 win after the first quarter.
Lachlan Sharp pulled one back for Australia on 29 minutes, but almost immediately Boon restored Belgium's two-goal cushion with his second of the game.
Florent van Aubel and Antoine Kina then made it 5-1 to Belgium in the third quarter, and though Blake Govers pulled another back for Australia, Boon was on hand to complete his hat-trick in the closing minutes of the contest.
The Paris 2024 men's hockey tournament begins with two pools of six teams playing each other in a league format. The top four teams in each pool will advance to the quarterfinal stage, with the gold and bronze medal matches to be held on August 8. ■
