Power-packed Australia proved third time lucky as they won the men’s field hockey World Cup after a 24-year hiatus with a 2-1 win over defending champions Germany yesterday.
Luke Doerner scored the winning penalty-corner 11 minutes from the end after Edward Ockenden had put the Kookaburras ahead in the sixth minute and Moritz Furste drew level for Germany in the 48th minute.
Doerner’s eighth goal in the tournament made him the joint leading scorer with another penalty-corner specialist, Taeke Taekema of the Netherlands.
PHOTO: EPA
Australia, whose previous World Cup title came way back in 1986, had lost the last two finals against Germany in 2002 and 2006.
The Germans, hoping to become the first team in history to bag a hat-trick of titles to add to the Beijing Olympic gold medal they won two years ago, were outpaced by the speedy Australians.
Kookaburras’ legendary coach Ric Charlesworth watched the final from the stands behind the goal, rather than on the bench, just as he had done in the semi-final against the Netherlands.
Charlesworth, who was part of Australia’s Cup winning squad in 1986, achieved the distinction of winning the World Cup both as a player and coach.
“I am too noisy and too excited on the bench, so I preferred to be calm in the stands,” Charlesworth said. “There was nothing superstitious about it.”
“I am very, very pleased. We played a good game with a lot of control and authority. Scoring that early goal was very helpful,” he said. “I am pleased to win both as player and captain. In 1986, the scoreline was the same, but the opponents [England] were different. The next goal now is the London Olympics.”
German captain Max Muller said the penalty corners proved decisive.
“We too got one in the end, but could not score,” Muller said. “We are a young side and maybe got overawed by the occasion. Today, we are disappointed, but when we think of it tomorrow morning, we will be pleased we reached the final.”
The Netherlands, meanwhile, gave veteran goalkeeper Guus Vogels a retirement present by winning the bronze medal with a 4-3 win over England earlier on Saturday.
In a thrilling play-off for the third and fourth place positions, Rogier Hofman scored the winning goal three minutes before the final whistle after the Dutch fought back from 1-3 down at halftime.
Vogels, who turns 35 later this month, was named the Dutch captain instead of Teun de Nooijer for the bronze medal match, his last international game after earning 260 caps for his country.
Vogels was part of the Netherlands’ Olympic gold medal-winning teams in 1996 and 2000.
“We wanted to win this one for Guus and I am proud the way we played today,” de Nooijer said.
European champions England, hoping for a podium finish for the first time since winning the silver medal in 1986, were swept aside in the second half by a determined Dutch side.
“It is absolutely devastating,” captain Barry Middleton said. “All the hard work we have done in the tournament has come to nothing because we failed to win a medal.”
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