Pakistan have struggled in this year’s edition. They lost 2-1 to England and 6-1 to Australia. The absence of penalty corner specialist Sohail Abbas has been felt by the team
Anyways … **Pakistan earns consolation win in Champions Trophy
Pakistan thumped South Korea 6-2 to post their first win of the Champions Trophy on Thursday, while Germany scored a last-gasp winner against Great Britain.**Pakistan came from behind to snap a three-game losing streak at the last major men’s tournament before the London Olympics, with captain Mohammad Imran and Abdul Khan both notching a brace.
Imran proved the inspiration for a Pakistan fightback after Lee Nam-Yong’s seventh minute goal gave Korea the lead, with the skipper converting a penalty corner after 15 minutes to put the Green Shirts on the board.
Khan followed up with a field goal one minute later and from there Pakistan looked assured, holding their nerve when Korea equalised and sealing the win with a four-goal burst in the final 10 minutes.
Imran said Pakistan, making their first appearance at the tournament since 2007, had finally put together a consistent performance after patchy displays in the opening rounds, including a 6-1 loss to defending champions Australia.
“For the whole match we played very well,” he said. Manager Khawaja Junaid was pleased with the way his team bounced back from the confidence-sapping loss to the Kookaburras.
He said that the Green Shirts, whose early losses mean they are out of medal contention in Auckland, still lagged behind the world’s top teams but the gap was closing.
“I think that was the turning point for our team,” he said.
“We played with organisational structure and discipline. We made less emotional mistakes, less (emphasis on) individual play. I think that’s the way to improve.
“It’s still a long way to the Olympics and, taking a realistic approach, we know we’re still behind the top teams, but we’re working hard.”
The win keeps alive Pakistan’s hopes of securing fifth place in the eight-nation event, which would guarantee a spot at next year’s competition in Argentina.
In the other Pool D match Germany overcame Britain 2-1, thanks to a last-minute penalty conversion from captain Jan-Marco Montag.
Britain, looking to restore some pride after an 8-1 mauling from Spain on Tuesday, began nervously, conceding a goal to Martin Zwicker after four minutes.
Glenn Kirkham put Britain on level terms mid-way through the first half as the German defence under intense pressure after the break.
But Germany finished stronger and were awarded two penalty corners in the final minute, the second of which Montag flicked into the net over the top of British keeper James Fair.
In Pool C, which will determine the top four placings, Australia play the Netherlands later Thursday and Spain face hosts New Zealand.
Germany thrash Pakistan to reach 5-6 Play-Off game
Germany 5-0 Pakistan
European champions Germany were in outstanding goal-scoring form at the start of Day 5 here at the Owen G Glenn FIH Champions Trophy in Auckland, New Zealand, cruising to a 5-0 win over Pakistan. Goals from Tobias Matania, Jan-Marco Montag, Benjamin Wess, Florian Fuchs and Benedikt Fürk ensured that Germany will play in the 5[SUP]th [/SUP]place play-off game on Sunday.
Germany were well on top of the majority of the first half and deservedly took the lead when Tobias Matania sent a low penalty corner shot into the bottom right corner after 13 minutes. Their advantage was doubled in the 26[SUP]th [/SUP]minute thanks to Jan-Marco Montag, who sent a ferocious penalty corner flick into the top right corner to leave Pakistan reeling.
Germany pressed their opponents deep into their own territory throughout the first half and continued their dominance in the second when Benjamin Wess rattled in a field goal seven minutes after the break to make the score 3-0. A fourth goal arrived in the 49[SUP]th[/SUP] minute thanks to 2011 FIH Young Player of the Year nominee Florian Fuchs, who got a crucial touch on a pass from Timo Wess to find the bottom corner.
Eight minutes from the end of the game Germany completed the scoring, and what a goal it was. A failed Pakistan penalty corner was quickly turned into a counter-attack thanks to a great pass from Timo Wess to Fuchs who surged into the circle before passing to the unmarked Benedikt Fürk who gloriously chipped the ball over the oncoming keeper.
Australia and Spain square off for Champions Trophy Final tomorrow (Sunday). Australia overwhelming favourites to win IMO
**Spain defeat Netherlands 3-1 to reach Final
**Spain continued their remarkable return to form with a superb 3-1 win over The Netherlands to set up a mouth-watering meeting against Australia in the final of the Owen G Glenn FIH Champions Trophy. Goals from Edi Tubau, Roc Oliva and Gabriel Dabanch proved to be enough for a Spanish team that has come on leaps and bounds since their hugely disappointing 6th place finish at the EuroHockey Nations Championships last summer.The result guaranteed Spain’s participation in the final even before New Zealand stepped onto the field for their match against Australia as the Black Sticks could no longer get enough points to secure a top two finish in Pool C. The contest between New Zealand was a classic Trans-Tasman encounter which was full of passion and commitment. A sell-out crowd of 3500 were vocal throughout the contest, but the Kookaburras maintained their 100 percent winning streak at this year’s Champions Trophy with a 2-1 victory.
Earlier in the day, Germany and Great Britain won their respective matches against Pakistan and Korea to ensure that they will contest Sunday’s 5-6 classification match. The 5-6 game is hugely important as a win would guarantee a place in next year’s Champions Trophy tournament.
But the onus is on Asian teams to move with the times and try to find the right balance between attacking hockey in the true Asian style (short passing and dribbling skills) and European style (penalty corner, scooping & long passing skills and superior defence drills) so they can once again compete well on the international stage on a consistent basis
**Australia have made history by becoming the first team to win four FIH Champions Trophy tournaments in succession following a 1-0 win over Spain in the Gold medal game **of the Owen G Glenn FIH Champions Trophy.
Eddie Ockenden was in the right place at the right time to force home a penalty corner rebound eleven minutes from the end of the game, giving the mighty Kookaburras a stunning success in Auckland, New Zealand.
The match was an incredibly close contest, with both sides enjoying periods of domination. Spain arguably had the better of the first half and could easily have been ahead when Roc Oliva and David Alegre saw their efforts miss the target. Newly-crowned FIH Young Player of the Year Matthew Swann also produced an outstanding tackle on Spain’s Edi Tubau just was the striker was about to shoot in the dying moments of the first half.
Tempers began to flair at the start of the second half, causing umpire Hamish Jamson to inform team captains Jamie Dwyer and Santi Freixa that their sides need to cool it. As the match progressed, the world champions began to assert their authority and went close to opening the scoring through Timothy Deavin and Jason Wilson, but the outstanding Spanish defence held firm.
In the 59th minute, Australia scored the crucial goal from a penalty corner, with Eddie Ockenden following up to volley home moments after Spain keeper Francisco Cortes saved Luke Doerner’s flicked effort from the top. Although the Spanish rallied hard towards the end, the all-conquering Australians closed the game out to add yet another trophy to their ever growing collection.
“It was a typical final,” said Kookaburras coach Ric Charlesworth in the post match press conference. " It was very tough. We played much better than our first game against Spain, which was good. The one or two chances that Spain had came from out errors so if we can iron them out we will be a very tough team to beat."
Five time FIH Player of the Year Jamie Dwyer was also pleased with the performance of his team. “I’m very proud to win it again … Spain came here with a point to prove after the disappointment of the Euros and did just that so we are very happy to win.”
Spain captain Santi Freixa was quick to congratulate Australia on their win, but was also keen to state his feelings about his team’s return to form here in Auckland. “We are all very proud of ourselves”, said Freixa, who was named as the player of the tournament. “They finished first and we finished second but we are so proud about what we achieved here.”
Final Standings Gold: Australia
**Silver: **Spain
**Bronze: **The Netherlands
**4th: **New Zealand
**5th: **Germany 6th: Great Britain 7th: Pakistan 8th: Korea
Pakistan narrowly avoided the Champions Trophy wooden spoon on Sunday, needing an extra-time golden goal from Muhammad Rizwan senior to snatch a 5-4 win over South Korea :)