GB hockey men earn thrilling draw with Netherlands

Lee Morton scored twice as Great Britain fought back to earn a thrilling 2-2 draw with the Netherlands at a scorching Yves-du-Manoir Stadium.

Goals from Floris Wortelboer at the end of the third quarter and Thijs van Dam midway through the fourth had put the top-seeded Dutch into a two-goal lead with eight minutes to play.

But Morton worked his way into a shooting position to power home his first just three minutes later.

The Scottish midfielder completed his side’s impressive comeback by firing a loose ball from a penalty corner past Dutch goalkeeper Pirmin Blaak in the 59th minute.

Morton said the “electric” atmosphere had helped inspire Great Britain’s fightback.

“It’s unbelievable,” he said. “There were a lot of people from Holland and GB today. It’s probably the best atmosphere I’ve ever played in. When the going gets tough, that keeps you going.”

Great Britain, the tournament’s second-ranked side, also had to fight back to draw 2-2 with South Africa in their previous match.

Morton said the team’s hard work before the Games was paying off as they finished strongly despite the sweltering 35C conditions.

“We’ve done a lot of prep – we did a lot of sauna work in the build-up just to get fit as a team,” he added. “We are fit for it but nonetheless, it’s still very, very tough.”

Unbeaten after three matches in Paris, they are third in Pool A and in a strong position to reach the quarter-finals.

They face hosts France on Thursday and world champions Germany on Friday in their remaining pool matches, with the top four teams qualifying for the quarter-finals on Sunday.

Captain David Ames’ side, who won their opening match 4-0 against Spain, are seeking to win their first Olympic medal since their gold-medal triumph in 1988.