Champions Trophy - Day 2 review
The second day of the Champions’ Trophy hockey tournament saw a real goal fest as the top six teams in the world exhibited a master class of hockey that left fans gasping for more.
World champions Australia once again proved that their win in the world event in New Delhi earlier in the year was no fluke as they bulldozed their way past former Olympic and World champions, Netherlands, in the opening match of day two.
The rampaging Australian forwards struck a jackpot in the last few minutes of the match as they scored as many as three goals in the last six minutes to pulverise the Dutch defence in Monchengladbach, Germany.
The team took the lead from down under when Jamie Dwyer scored with a great reverse shot.
The Dutch came back strongly equalizing in the 42nd minute when Rogier Hofman succeeded in putting the ball in the net following a deflection in the circle.
The next few minutes were action packed as the Aussies took the lead three minutes later, through Luke Doerner, only for Teun de Nooijer, the Dutch veteran, to equalise the score 2-2.
Van der Weerden’s goal in the second half gave the Europeans lead once again in the match as he scored via a short corner; his drag flick went inside the goal after a deflection by an Aussie defender and goalie Burgess had no chance.
A goal down, the Aussies went on a rampage in the last minutes of the match. They first found the equalizing goal before tearing the Dutch defence apart through a goal by Jason Wilson, Jamie Dwyer and Russell Ford giving them a tennis like score line of 6-3.
In the second match of the day hosts Germany went past the Black Sticks, the team from New Zealand 5-2 in a clinical dismantling of the side.
Fresh from a severe mauling by the Australians only a day earlier, the Black sticks looked down on spirits and struggled to make inroads in the opposition half.
The hosts went ahead after 19 minutes with Christophe Menke scoring a goal of his team's fifth penalty corner.
Four minutes later Florian Woesch doubled the German lead, through am impressive move that was rewarded when the opposition goal-keeper failed to stop the shot.
Nicholas Wilson brought the Black sticks in the reckoning with a goal at the start of the second half, yet his joy was short lived as Martin Haner struck back immediately, of his team’s seventh penalty corner.
Florian Woesch consolidated his team’s position further by a goal in the 53rd minute, before another consolation goal by Simon Child 12 minutes later. Moritz Furste then piled on the agony for the Black sticks sealing the match with a 5-2 victory for Germany in the 67th minute.
In the last match of the day world cup semi-finalists England drew 3-3 with Spain in an enthralling encounter that saw both teams fight all the way.
The English would be disappointed after taking a 2-0 in front, that they relinquished allowing the Spaniards to claw back.
Captain Glenn Kirkham scored the opening goal in the third minute, and just two minutes later, Iain Mackay deflected a pass coming from Rob Moore to give his team a commanding start.
However their joy did not last for long as the Spaniards hit back hard scoring two goals in the 50th and 54th minutes of the match through Pau Quemada and Miquel Delas.
England regained the lead through a deflection by Mackay but their opponents sealed a 3-3 draw courtesy a goal by Gabriel Dabanch's in the 63rd minute of the match.
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