The Netherlands won the women's field hockey World Cup for the seventh time with a 3-1 win over Australia on Sunday.
Maartje Paumen scored twice and Sylvia Karres -- the tournament's top scorer -- grabbed her sixth goal to snap a two-game losing streak at major finals for the "Oranje."
It was the Netherlands' first world title since 1990.
PHOTO: EPA
The Dutch took the lead in the 41st on Paumen's penalty corner before Jennifer Saunders leveled for Australia -- the 2000 Olympic champions -- on a penalty shot six minutes later.
Karres struck in the 55th and Paumen's penalty in the 67th completed the Dutch win.
Top-ranked Netherlands controlled the game through 35 minutes -- firing seven shots to just one by the Hockeyroos -- and virtually eliminating Australia forward Wendy Beattie and captain Nikki Hudson from the game.
PHOTO: AFP
In the 30th, Eefke Mulder intercepted a careless Australian clearance, and her shot from outside the area appeared to be deflected into the top corner by Karres. A video review showed it was deflected off an Australian stick and the goal was denied.
Australia goalkeeper Rachel Imison denied the Netherlands on back-to-back penalty corners after the overturned goal.
The Oranje finally scored in the 41st, when Paumen's wrist shot from a second straight penalty corner went through a crowd and past Imison.
The Netherlands goalie Lisanne de Roever denied Australia a scoring chance off a penalty corner six minutes later. Defender Paumen was ruled to have kept Beattie's rebound shot out of goal with her leg, and the Hockeyroos were given a penalty.
Saunders calmly slotted to the right of De Roever, as Australia looked to come from behind for its first world title since 1998.
In the 55th, Karres jumped on a loose ball in the area and, streaking to the left, slapped a backhand shot past Imison inside the near post.
Paumen atoned for her penalty by scoring her own penalty in the 67th.
Earlier, Argentina -- which won the title in 2002 -- routed Spain 5-0 to finish third. Maria de la Paz Hernandez led the barrage with a first half hat-trick, while Marine Russo and Alejandra Gulla's strikes in the 51st and 53rd completed the win.
Spain's only consolation on the day: captain Nuria Camon Farell was named the tournament's most valuable player.
Chloe Rogers and Rachel Walker scored to give England a 2-1 win over Olympic champions Germany, and a seventh-place finish. Maike Stoeckel scored Germany's lone goal in the 43rd.
Four-time NBA all-star DeMarcus Cousins arrived in Taiwan with his family early yesterday to finish his renewed contract with the Taiwan Beer Leopards in the T1 League. Cousins initially played a four-game contract with the Leopards in January. On March 18, the Taoyuan-based team announced that Cousins had renewed his contract. “Hi what’s up Leopard fans, I’m back. I’m excited to be back and can’t wait to join the team,” Cousins said in a video posted on the Leopard’s Facebook page. “Most of all, can’t wait to see you guys, the fans, next weekend. So make sure you come out and support the Beer
Revelations of positive doping tests for nearly two dozen Chinese swimmers that went unpunished sparked an intense flurry of accusations and legal threats between the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) and the head of the US drug-fighting organization, who has long been one of WADA’s fiercest critics. WADA on Saturday said it was turning to legal counsel to address a statement released by US Anti-Doping Agency (USADA) CEO Travis Tygart, who said WADA and anti-doping authorities in China swept positive tests “under the carpet by failing to fairly and evenly follow the global rules that apply to everyone else in the world.” The
Taiwanese judoka Yang Yung-wei on Saturday won silver in the men’s under-60kg category at the Asian Judo Championships in Hong Kong. Nicknamed the “judo heartthrob” in Taiwan, the Olympic silver-medalist missed out on his first Asian Championships gold when he lost to Japanese judoka Taiki Nakamura in the finals. Yang defeated three opponents on Saturday to reach the final after receiving a bye through the round of 32. He first topped Laotian Soukphaxay Sithisane in the round of 16 with two seoi nage (over-the-shoulder throws), then ousted Indian Vijay Kumar Yadav in the quarter-finals with his signature ude hishigi sankaku gatame (triangular armlock). He
Rafael Nadal on Wednesday said the upcoming French Open would be the moment to “give everything and die” on the court after his comeback from injury in Barcelona was curtailed by Alex de Minaur. The 22-time Grand Slam title winner, back playing this week after three months on the sidelines, battled well, but eventually crumbled 7-5, 6-1 against the world No. 11 from Australia in the second round. Nadal, 37, who missed virtually all of last season, is hoping to compete at the French Open next month where he is the record 14-time champion. The Spaniard said the clash with De Minaur was