Germany lost their final group
match but still reached tomorrow`s final of the men`s field
hockey Champions Trophy against defending champions Australia
here today.
|Last Updated: Dec 05, 2009, 02:55 PM IST|Source: Bureau
Melbourne: Germany lost their final group
match but still reached tomorrow`s final of the men`s field
hockey Champions Trophy against defending champions Australia
here today.
The Netherlands, needing to beat the Olympic and world
champions by four goals to reach the gold medal match, could
only muster a 4-3 win, which allowed the Germans to take their
place in the final.
Nine-time winners Australia will be playing in their 20th
Champions Trophy final, while Germany will be bidding for
their seventh title. West Germany also won the title three
times.
Australia are the defending champions, having beaten
Spain 4-1 in last year`s final in Rotterdam, while Germany
last won the Champions Trophy in 2007, downing Australia 1-0.
Australia crushed Spain 10-3 to reach their third
consecutive Trophy final and created a new tournament record
for most goals in a match, eclipsing their 7-5 win over the
Netherlands in 1981.
Australia had only won one of their previous seven
encounters against Spain in all major competitions, but they
went on a goal spree before the home fans in their last group
match on Saturday.
Spain held Australia to 2-2 at halftime but the
floodgates opened spectacularly as Australia lashed home seven
unanswered goals in the final 19 minutes.
Luke Doerner converted a penalty corner, Glenn Turner and
Fergus Kavanagh put in two field goals each, and captain Jamie
Dwyer and Eddie Ockenden contributed a field goal each against
the hapless Spaniards.
The Dutch began their goal chase by scoring first through
a penalty stroke by Taeke Taekema.
But the Germans hit back through Matthias Witthaus and
Florian Fuchs before Rob Reckers equalised near halftime.
Teun de Nooijer and Reckers gave the Dutch faint hope of
an unlikely outcome with goals to lead 4-2 before Fuchs scored
his second goal of the match.
The Netherlands will now play for the bronze medal
against South Korea tomorrow, while England will battle Spain
to avoid last place in the tournament.
Dutch coach Michel van den Heuvel admitted the task of
beating Germany by four goals was a bridge too far.
"Our aim to get a four-goal margin in this match was too
difficult for us today," van den Heuvel said.
"I was happy with the way we played and that we showed a
lot of energy and speed on the court today."
Earlier, England defeated South Korea 4-2 to thwart South
Korea`s finals hopes.
Bureau Report
By clicking “Accept All Cookies”, you agree to the storing of cookies on your device to enhance site navigation, analyze site usage, and assist in our marketing efforts.
Cookies Setting
By clicking “Accept All Cookies”, you agree to the storing of cookies on your device and the processing of information obtained via those cookies (including about your preferences, device and online activity) by us and our commercial partners to enhance site navigation, personalise ads, analyze site usage, and assist in our marketing efforts. More information can be found in our Cookies and Privacy Policy. You can amend your cookie settings to reject non-essential cookies by clicking Cookie Settings below.
Manage Consent Preferences
Strictly Necessary Cookies
These cookies are necessary for the website to function and cannot be switched off in our systems. They are usually only set in response to actions made by you which amount to a request for services, such as setting your privacy preferences, logging in or filling in forms. You can set your browser to block or alert you about these cookies, but some parts of the site will not then work or you may not be able to login.
Functional Cookies
These cookies enable the website to provide enhanced functionality and personalisation. They may be set by us or by third party providers whose services we have added to our pages. If you do not allow these cookies then some or all of these services may not function properly.
Targeting Cookies
These cookies may be set through our site by our advertising partners. They may be used by those companies to build a profile of your interests and show you relevant adverts on other sites. They are also used to limit the number of times you see an advert as well as help measure the effectiveness of an advertising campaign. They do not store directly personal information, but are based on uniquely identifying your browser and internet device. If you do not allow these cookies, you will experience less targeted advertising.
Performance Cookies
These cookies allow us to count visits and traffic sources so we can measure and improve the performance of our site. They help us to know which pages are the most and least popular and see how visitors move around the site. All information these cookies collect is aggregated and therefore anonymous. If you do not allow these cookies we may not know when you have visited our site, and may not be able to monitor its performance.