The Hindu : Sport : Germany beats Australia, clinches Champions Trophy

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Monday, Dec 10, 2007
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Sport

Sport

Germany beats Australia, clinches Champions Trophy

S. Thyagarajan

Kuala Lumpur: An enchanting amalgam of professional efficiency and technical excellence brought Germany, the World champion, its ninth Champions Trophy here on Sunday. Only a solitary goal separated the winner and Australia in a nerve-wracking final, and the intensity of it all is well reflected in the margin.

The six-year hiatus after Rotterdam in 2001 was bridged on Sunday night with a neatly orchestrated performance. The Germans played a like machine ordained to perform, and in almost every aspect of the game, they had the edge over the Aussies who always play their hockey with enviable élan.

Schulte excels

An ingenuous penalty corner goal by skipper Timo Wess was all that the Germans could slot in the early minutes. But in the rest of the contest, they managed to defend that lead with an amazing system in the defence, where goalkeeper Christian Schulte stood out. Some of the saves he effected from the marauding Aussie attackers were breathtaking. Schulte’s alacrity under the bar was superb.

Only once was he taken aback by the Aussie sally and Grant Schubert all but scored after evading the ’keeper. As the ball rolled, in came Maximillian Mueller with a fantastic diving goal-mouth save.

To be fair to the Aussies, it must be admitted they made valiant efforts to pick the equaliser. Nathan Eglington’s yellow card did upset the rhythm for some time. But Jaime Dwyer, Rob Hammond, and Grant Schubert, were all over the Germans.

However, the German defenders stood like a bastion denying them a clear view of the goal. True, there were a couple of chances missed, but the Aussies have to blame themselves for those solecisms. The saves by Stephen Lambert in the first half also are to be mentioned.

Netherlands wins bronze

The Netherlands, which lost to Korea 2-6 in the pool game, won the bronze medal match against the same opponent by the odd goal in five.

The 2-0 lead that the Dutch had notched up at half-time looked very vulnerable in the second half in which the Koreans escalated pressure on the rival defence almost through out.

They were in the contest till 10 seconds from the hooter. Winger You Hio Sik was the star of the Korean front line sallies that accentuated the discomfiture of the rival defence for whom goalkeeper Guus Vogels brought off a few spectacular saves.

What the Koreans proved on Sunday, despite the loss, was that their 6-2 win in the last meeting should not be reckoned as fluke.

The results: final: Germany 1 (Timo Wess) bt Australia 0.

Play-offs (3-4): The Netherlands 3 ( Taeke Takema, Rob Reckers, Jeoren Hertzberger) bt Korea 2 (Yeo Woon Kon, Kim Byung Hoon); (5-6): Spain 4 (Victor Sojo, Xavier Ribas 2, Santi Friexa) bt Great Britain 2 (Ben Hawes, Richard Mantell); (7-8): Pakistan 3 (Imran Muhammad 2, (one golden goal), Arshad Muhammad) bt Malaysia 2 (Tajuddin Ahmed 2).

Player of the tournament: Matthias Witthaus (Germany); Fair play: Great Britain; Top-scorers: 7 goals each - Taeke Takema (Netherlands) and Jang Jong Hyun (Korea); Best goalkeeper: Guus Vogels (Netherlands); Young player: Edward Ockenden (Australia); Player of the Final: Timo Wess (Germany).