TEAM GB Masters 35s kicked-off their campaign with a hard-fought 2-1 victory over a typically resilient USA side. But from then on it went downhill with defeats by Brazil and Israel before rallying on Tuesday with a 3-0 defeat of Chile.
USA took the lead against the run of play on 55 minutes with a stunner from 30 yards finding the top corner.
Team GB got their deserved equaliser. Myers’ fine ball saw Lenchner out-muscle the centre back before smashing the ball on the run past the on-rushing keeper.
It was all GB from there. Stewart fed Ami Schwarz but he stayed up when clipped in the box. His jinking run then brought the best out of the excellent keeper before Kleinman’s great take saw him volley goalwards from barely eight yards only for the keeper to pull off an incredible tip on to the bar with Lenchner unable to guide the rebound on target.
Just as it seemed time was going to get the better of the Brits, Brill and Lazarus combined to cross deep.
Linger’s chest control gave a yard and he gleefully volleyed home what was to prove the winner and a fine start to the tournament.
An all-round good performance failed to deliver the result it deserved when two errors in the final four minutes cost GB the point that was the minimum they deserved against Brazil. Paul Lenchner had levelled with his second goal of the tournament, but two goals in five-minutes saw them fall to their first defeat.
Monday bought more woe as Israel piled on a 4-0 thrashing. But the next day, three second half goals in five minutes wrecked Chile. Hadley Silver started the ball rolling with a 46th-minute penalty before Lord Astaire added a second and Adam Kaye another in the 51st minute.
GB Masters 45 team were beaten 3-1 by hosts Israel after being 3-0 down within the first 15 minutes. But they did salvage some pride in the second half through Mark Kingston’s free-kick.
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