David Chappell

From David Chappell in Sydney

If ever a sales pitch on behalf of British hockey for future funding was going to work, this was the day.

The Minister for Sport, Kate Hoey, and British lottery commissioners were on hand today to watch as Great Britain turned the Olympic men’s tournament on its head with an astounding 2-1 victory over Germany, giving themselves the chance of a top-five finish.

It was as stunning as it was unexpected. The Germans, top of pool A at the start of the day, suddenly found themselves missing out on the semi-finals for the first time since 1976, while Holland, the Olympic and world champions, received a dramatic reprieve and now face Australia in the semi-finals.

The host nation would rather have met the regimented Germans than the unpredictable Dutch. The winners of that tie meet either Pakistan or South Korea in Saurday's final.

Needing a draw to go through against opponents against whom they had scored 18 goals in four straight victories - the last by 6-1 in Hamburg last month - Germany’s cautious approach and failure to finish some tidy midfield work cost them dearly. They had the ball in the net twice in the opening five minutes only for the goals to be ruled out, and Simon Mason made flying saves to deny Bjoern Michel at short corners.

In the second half, Christoph Bechmann hit the post from close range amid mounting tension as their opponents revelled in the falling rain. At the final whistle, the Germany players were desolate. “Today has been like watching a bad film,” Paul Lissek, their coach, said.

For Britain - whose record against Germany now shows five wins in 37 matches - it was by far their best performance here. They held their own in an attritional first-half and struck back immediately after falling behind to Christian Mayerhoeffer’s shot two minutes after the break. From a penalty corner, Craig Parnham’s flick looped up off a defender’s stick and over the stranded goalkeeper.

Barry Dancer, Britain’s Australian head coach, showed a sound historical grasp when he likened the goal to the reverse of Italia 90, when England fell behind to West Germany in a football World Cup semi-final.

Britain grew in confidence, with Mark Pearn and Danny Hall up front preying on German nerves. Five minutes from time, they finally forced a penalty corner with their first-choice striker, Calum Giles, on the pitch. “It shows what a world-class exponent he is,” Jon Wyatt, the outstanding Britain captain, said. “He steps up, one chance, one goal.” Giles’s powerful drag flick ripped past Christopher Reitz.

At the final whistle, the British players did not realise that it was all over for the Germans. They do now as they contemplate a play-off match on Thursday against an India team who also missed out o a place in the last four when they conceded a last-minute equaliser against Poland.

”We have two very important matches for British hockey, and Thursday is now the match,” Dancer said. “To be in the top six can mean a lot for us in terms of qualifying for the World Cup and Champions Trophy.”

As the thunder rolled over Olympic Park last night, the Indians could be forgiven for wondering what storm Britain might brew up for them as they glimpse an unexpected opportunity to salvage a respectable finish from a poor start.