Four-time champion Pakistan finishes last after 3-2 loss to Canada at World Cup

NEW DELHI - Canada defeated Pakistan 3-2 in overtime Thursday, consigning the four-time champion to its lowest ever finish at the men's field hockey World Cup.

Scott Tupper's golden goal in the 13th minute of extra time decided the game after the teams were tied 2-2 following 70 minutes of regulation play.

Tupper's goal gave Canada its first victory in six matches at the World Cup, earning 11th spot for the Canadians at the 12-team tournament.

Field Hockey Canada senior lead Karen O'Neill said the Canadians still treated it like a big game.

"To finish off with the win against Pakistan, a long-standing rival, I think they're both inspired and fuelled to take it to the next level," she said.

Pakistan finished last with five losses and one victory.

Pakistan opened the scoring in the fourth minute through Rehan Butt's field goal and Connor Grimes equalized for Canada in the 12th to make it 1-1 at halftime. Akhtar Ali again put Pakistan ahead with a flash strike in 46th minute, only to see Mark Pearson restore parity in the 58th.

Pakistan's coach Shahid Ali Khan blamed senior players for the team's poor performance.

"Senior players like Rehan Butt, Shakeel Abassi and Sohail Abbas let us down, they did not fulfil the expectations," said Khan, a former goalkeeper who was member of the 1982 World Cup winning team.

"These players were supposed to lead the youngsters, but couldn't perform well themselves," he said. "Our team underperformed in the tournament."

"This is our worst ever performance at international level. I can't tell you how I'm feeling right now. The team's morale before this match was low and I found it difficult to motivate the team to play for the game to decide the last two positions."

Khan said he would give a detailed report to the federation "so that the cause of Pakistan hockey's decline is addressed."

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With files from The Canadian Press.