Germany lost their final group match but still reached today’s final of the men’s field hockey Champions Trophy against defending champions Australia yesterday.
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 in their last group match yesterday.
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.
The Germans hit back, however, through Matthias Witthaus and Florian Fuchs before Rob Reckers equalized near half-time.
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 play for the bronze medal against South Korea today, while England will battle Spain to avoid last place in the tournament.
Earlier, England defeated South Korea 4-2 to thwart the Korean’s hopes of reaching the final.
Alastair Wilson scored England’s opener, batting in a rebound off South Korea goalkeeper Lee Myung-ho from Ashley Jackson’s penalty corner drag-flick.
South Korea hit back before the break when Yoon Sung-hoon scored.
England were awarded a penalty corner after a run into the circle by Richard Mantell and Richard Alexander scored.
South Korea hit back through Lee Nam-yong to stay in contention but their legs failed them in the last 10 minutes.
Mantell sealed the match with his last minute penalty corner, finishing the rebound off Lee Myung-ho.
It was England’s first win in the Champions Trophy since their 4-3 victory over South Korea in 2001.
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