Hockey Update: Champions Trophy Hockey Day One
The premier annual world hockey tournament is in full swing in Germany, as the top six ranked teams in international field hockey come face to face to reign supreme.
The tournament is considered the toughest international assignment every year and it is entering its third decade after its inception in Pakistan in 1980-81.
On the opening day of the tournament being staged at Monchengladbach, the fancied teams were in full flow defeating their rivals in the three games to be played in the day.
The Australians fresh from their win in the World Cup held in New Delhi earlier in the year, taught a hockey lesson to their neighbours New Zealand. On the other hand, the Netherlands went past Spain in a clash of the European power houses, while in the last match of the day World cup finalists Germany beat England 4-2.
The opening match of the tournament hosts Germany toppled England in what was a repeat of the World cup semi-final earlier in the year.
The Germans were in fine form from the outset brushing aside the English team 4-2.
The rampant forwards made steady inroads in the opposition defence to take a commanding four-nil win in the first half.
The opening goal came only in the fifth minute of the match as Oscar Deecke scored to give his team a great start, the lead was doubled through Jan-Marco Montag who scored a delightful goal in the 28th minute.
The goal came via a penalty corner that was earned through a video referral.
The Germans went into over drive minutes before the end of the first half, as Martin Haner and Benjamin Wess converted two penalty corners.
Sitting pretty at 4-0, the hosts eased off the pressure in the second half that allowed their opponents to claw back in the game with two goals.
Ashley Jackson converted a penalty corner in the 45th minute of the match and five minutes before the final hooter Jackson made it 4-2.
The second match of the day saw a goal fest at the expense of New Zealand Black sticks, who were tormented 9-1 by world champions Australia.
The Australians showed their class and experience against their opponents smashing one goal after another in a mesmerizing display of attacking hockey.
They were led by goals from Jason Wilson, who scored twice in his Champions Trophy debut.
Jamie Dwyer opened the score in the third minute of the match before Luke Doerner doubled the lead in the 26th minute of the match via a penalty corner.
Wilson scored the third goal of the match, while four minutes later Simon Orchard made it 4-0.
The Black Sticks finally rose to the occasion scoring their lone goal of the match in the 33rd minute.
However, there was little stopping their misery as Glenn Turner made the score line 5-1 on the eve of the first half.
The Kookaburras smashed four more goals to knock the stuffing out of the hapless opponents, the goal scorers were Wilson, Doerner while Russel Ford scored a brace.
In the final match of the day European powerhouse, The Netherlands bulldozed Spain 5-2.
Jeroen Hertzberger scored the opener for the Dutch team in the 10th minute of the match, yet the Spaniards roared back with a goal with-in a minute through Pau Quemada.
Hertzberger got the Dutch back in business in the 25th minute, before they sealed the fate of the match with two goals before the end of the first half.
The goals were scored in the 31st and 33rd minute from Mink van der Weerden and Teun de Nooijer.
Spain got back in the game with a strike from David Alegre, but their hopes of a rearguard action were lost, when Rogier Hofman finished a great combination with van der Weerden to take the Europeans to a 5-2 win.
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