India fail to make their first Champions Trophy final after a 0-3 loss to Australia; will play arch-rival Pakistan for bronze medal today
India once again failed to reach the final of men’s Champions Trophy hockey as they were thrashed 0-3 by Australia in the semi-final at the State Netball and Hockey Centre here on Saturday.
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Australia’s Jacob Whetton fights his way through India defender Manpreet Singh and goalkeeper PT Roa during the Champions Trophy semi-final in Melbourne on Saturday. PIC/AFP
World No 11 India will now play arch-rival Pakistan, world No 9, for the bonze medal while Australia will go for a record five consecutive Champions Trophy titles. Australia will face the Netherlands in today’s final.
Under sunny skies and in front of a full house, the Kookaburras, ranked second, dominated the Indians with a speedy, relentless attack.u00a0Both India and Australia were on a mission.
The Aussies were looking to re-establish themselves as the unbeatable team in men’s hockey after missing out the Olympic gold medal, while the Indians were looking to re-establish their national team programme on the eve of the launch of the Hockey India League.
But the Indians were not match for the Australians. Star forward Jamie Dwyer made the difference in the game. He struck twice in a 10-minute span in the first half to lift the Aussies to the early 2-0 lead.
Dwyer popped in a rebound on a Chris Ciriello penalty corner flick and then easily converted a penalty stroke mid-half to send a clear message early on.
Kieran Govers extended the lead as he swept in front the India net and converted the streaking shot to give Australia a solid 3-0 lead with 26 minutes left in the game.
More to play for
India still has the chance to earn a major moral victory for the national team programme as it can go for its second-ever Champions Trophy medal and its first since 1982 in the bronze medal game against Pakistan. Earlier in the day, the Netherlands earned its first spot in a Champions Trophy final game since 2006 after they topped Pakistan 5-1 in first semi-final game.u00a0
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