| Great Britain and India top competitors for sole Olympic spot |
Great Britain and Russia duel it out at the men
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(BEIJING, March 3) -- In the 2008 Olympic Games men's field hockey qualifying tournament held in Santiago, Chile, the team from Great Britain overwhelmed Russia 8-0. On the same day, India comfortably defeated Austria with a final game score of 7-3.
Previously, eight-time Olympic champion India made 8 goals against a non-scoring Russian team on Saturday. Not to be outshined, Great Britain crushed Mexico in their match 11-0 on the opening day of the six nation event.
The two hockey powerhouses are now tied at two wins each in the fight for the sole qualifying slot to compete in the Olympics.
Great Britain held nothing back in their match against Russia; by half-time, the score was 4-0 with Barry Middleton scoring the game's first point. Another 4 goals scored in the second half clinched the victory for the Brits.
The last match of the day was fought between India and Austria. Austria took a very early lead, scoring the first goal of the game within two minutes of the start. However, their lead was short-lived, as the Indian team came running, scoring two goals of their own. At the half, the score was tied 2-2, with Austria putting in another goal in the 28th minute of the game. In the second half, Austria let India score another five goals, scoring only one themselves at (literally) the very last minute, rendering game end score 7-3.
Great Britain is up against Chile next. The Chilean team lost by one point to Austria in their first match with a final score of 3-4. Their second match ended up better for them, with a hard-earned 4-0 victory over the young Mexican team. In that match, the two teams were deadlocked for the first 29 minutes of the game. By half-time, the score was 1-0, Chile. After the whistle blew to commence the second half, Chile upped its offence but ran headlong into a strong Mexican defense. 46 minutes into the game came the second goal for Chile, and a mere three minutes before the end of the game, the Chilean athletes erupted, adding two more goals to their count.
Great Britain and India now stand at the top of the totem pole with six points each. They are followed by Chile and Austria, who both have one win, one loss each. Mexico and Russia round out the bottom of the list. According to the competition schedule, the boys will rest on March 3, resuming on the 4th with Mexico going against India, Austria taking on Russia, and Chile testing their skills against Great Britain.
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