Australia win fourth straight Champions Trophy
Australia maintained its stranglehold on hockey’s Champions Trophy
with a 1-0 win over Spain on Sunday, claiming a record fourth straight
title through a disputed goal to Eddie Ockenden.
The reigning world champions went into the decider overwhelming
favourites but were forced to work hard for their victory by a Spanish
side determined to make amends for a disappointing sixth place at the
European Championships.
The win at the last major tournament for men’s hockey before the
London Olympics gave the Kookaburras their 12th Champions Trophy title
overall and confirmed their status as the sport’s top-ranked team. “I’m
very proud to win again and create history with four times in a row,”
said Australia captain Jamie Dwyer, who finished the tournament as top
scorer with seven goals and was named world player of the year for the
fifth time.
The final, played in blustery conditions in Auckland, was a defensive
affair that only sparked to life when Ockeden netted his winner in the
59th minute.
The Spanish argued the goal came from a dangerous Liam De Young high
pass and should have been disallowed, but Korean umpire Kim Hong-Lae
waved aside the protest to give Australia the decisive lead. Spain
surged forward looking for an equaliser but the Australian defence was
up to the challenge and the Kookaburras held on for the win.
Spain coach Daniel Martin said through an interpreter that he did not
understand the umpire’s ruling and felt the ball could have hit a
Spanish player.
But Spanish skipper Santi Freixa brushed aside the controversy,
saying he was pleased his side had re-established its international
credentials after their Euro flop.
“We don’t have any excuse, we feel proud of ourselves,” he said.
“It’s not important what happened during the match.”
In the third-place playoff at the eight-nation tournament, the
Netherlands held off a dogged challenge from hosts New Zealand to win
5-3.
While the Dutch held the lead throughout the match after Jeroen
Hertzberger’s opener in the fifth minute, the New Zealanders, spurred on
by a vocal hometown crowd, matched them goal for goal until late in the
second half.
With the scores locked at 3-3 with three minutes to go, extra time
was looming before Bob de Voogd directed in Sander de Wijn’s long-range
shot.
As the Black Sticks poured forward frantically chasing an equaliser,
hauling off keeper Kyle Pontifax to gain another outfield player, Billy
Bakker capitalised for the Netherlands and sent the ball into the open
goal. In the bottom half of the tournament,
Pakistan narrowly avoided the wooden spoon, needing an extra-time
golden goal from Muhammad Rizwan senior to snatch a 5-4 win over South
Korea, while Germany defeated Great Britain 1-0.
The win put Germany in fifth place, guaranteeing a spot at next
year’s Champions Trophy in Argentina, while Pakistan manager Khawaja
Junaid said the Green Shirts had benefited from exposure to top teams at
the tournament.
He said Pakistan, making their first Champions Trophy appearance
since 2007, had performed well but needed to improve their consistency.
AFP |