BLACK STICKS MEN QUALIFY FOR PARIS

The Vantage Black Sticks Men team have clinched a berth at the 2024 Olympic Games with a 3-2 playoff win over Pakistan in Oman on Sunday (Monday NZ time).

It was a high-stakes encounter in the third place playoff at the FIH Olympic qualifying tournament.

New Zealand joined Great Britain and Germany as the three qualifiers for the Paris Games with a comeback win.

Pakistan - seeking to make the Olympic cut for the first time since London 2012 - opened the scoring in the 18th minute through Abu Mahmood after a penalty corner.

But Scott Boyde equalised for the Black Sticks from a penalty corner in the 24th minute.

Pakistan scored again to go 2-1 up at halftime.

Experienced forward Hugo Inglis tied it up for the Black Sticks in the 52nd minute and Boyde scored the winner in the final 10 minutes.

Boyde felt both relief and elation at netting the goal that booked a berth to Paris.

“I couldn’t believe it when it had had gone in,’’ he said.

“I didn’t know what to do. Luckily, Sam Lane was there to catch me in the celebrations. It was awesome.’’

Inglis said it “still hasn’t sunk in’’ that he is heading to his fourth Olympic Games.

The veteran Black Stick said he was “still in the relief stage’’ and at one point in the second half, with Pakistan leading 2-1, he had to tell himself ”this is not going to be your last game for New Zealand“.

Coach Greg Nicol said he was “proud of the group’’ and their ability to win despite being ”a little off our game’’.

He said the Black Sticks were “on the back foot’’ at one stage and ”scoreboard pressure’’ had added to that, but with “some grit, a bit of workrate and couple of small changes” had got the desired result to cap “four or five months’’ of hard work.