MELBOURNE: Australia clinched a record fifth straight Champions Trophy field hockey title with a 2-1 extra-time win over the Netherlands in the final in Melbourne on Sunday.
The second-ranked 'Kookaburras' went some way to erasing the pain of their bronze medal at this year's London Olympics with victory over the world number three Dutch in a tense final.
After dominating much of the match the Australians were frustrated by Dutch goalkeeper Jaap Stockmann with their many shots on goal.
The Netherlands struck first with an early penalty corner, however the Kookaburras levelled the score minutes later through Russell Ford.
Australia had the chance to go in front before half-time, but the penalty stroke was missed by Jamie Dwyer.
The Kookaburras dominated the second-half, but the home side could not break through and the game went to extra-time.
Australia continued to push in the golden goal period with Kieran Govers firing in a brilliant shot from the top of the circle, finally beating Stockmann to give Australia victory before their home fans.
Earlier, Pakistan beat India 3-2 in the bronze medal play-off.
No comments:
Post a Comment