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Bhubaneswar, Dec 13: It was the appetizer before the main course and the crowd which had thronged the Kalinga Stadium here Saturday were treated to a goal rush as Germany entered the Champions Trophy hockey tournament final defeating defending champions Australia 3-2.
Like modern football, present-day hockey is all about running without the ball and taking up the correct positions. It is in that department that the Germans excelled over the Aussies in the first two quarters of the game. And that is where the fate of the tie was more or less decided. The Germans got their third goal of the match within 30 seconds of the beginning of the third quarter and even though the Aussies retaliated with vigour, they were always fighting a lost cause.
The Aussies looked a little jaded in the first two quarters and taking of advantage of this lethargy, the Olympic Champions were 2-0 up against the World Champions within the first 10 minutes. Timur Oruz scored the first goal in the fourth minute picking up a deflected cross from Christopher Wesley. Six minutes later it was 2-0 as Mats Grambusch scored from a goalmouth melee. The Aussie defenders jumped to avoid Grambusch’s shot hitting their legs and in the process blocked the vision of custodian Andrew Charter.
With Florian Fuchs, Jonas Gomol and Christopher Ruhr combining beautifully, the Germans then were all over the opponents. The Aussies, for whom Tristan White and Chris Ciriello played brilliantly, were then scampering to keep their citadel intact. The only time they posed a problem was in the 12th minute when a combined move saw Russel Ford in the clear. But his stiff shot was saved by Nicolas Jacobi diving to his left.
The second session saw the German dominance continue and they created a few more chances. The Aussies defended resolutely, but they were again hurt in the opening seconds of the third quarter when Fuchs scored after Arnold Pitt’s shot had been saved by the Aussie goalstopper. Fuchs was at the right place at the right time to shoot home. Down 0-3, the Aussies looked out.
But then came the Aussie fightback. Ciriello converted the third penalty corner and Matt Gohdes the fourth. Suddenly there was a match in Germany’s hands. But that was as far as the defending champions got and now they will just be playing for the third-fourth place.
