Spain humiliated Great Britain 8-1 to reach the top four of the the Champions Trophy hockey tournament Tuesday, as hosts New Zealand advanced with a barnstorming comeback against the Netherlands.
In the last day of initial pool play, New Zealand trailed 3-0 against the Holland but salvaged a 3-3 draw, to consign Olympic champions Germany to the bottom four of the last major men’s hockey tournament before the London Games.
Germany could only manage a 3-3 draw against South Korea, not enough to remain in the elite group, while Australia thrashed Pakistan 6-1.
Britain, South Korea, Pakistan and Germany will join the “best of the rest” to fight over the bottom four places when play resumes following a rest day on Wednesday. Beijing gold medallists Germany needed a win against South Korea to ensure a spot in the top four.
Pakistan manager manager Khawaja Junaid said his team, making their first Champions Trophy appearance since 2007, were still on a learning curve ahead of the Olympics after the 6-1 defeat to Australia. “It will take time,” he said.
Britain slumped to their heaviest defeat in the competition’s history, found wanting under an unrelenting inquisition from a Spanish team determined to make amends for a disappointing sixth place in this year’s European championship.
Coach Jason Lee’s side went a goal up through skipper Barry Middleton after 23 minutes but from there it was all one-way traffic as Spain tore apart the British defence. “We were very, very poor… we physically and technically couldn’t cope,” Lee said, lamenting the way his team gifted Spain “two of the softest goals I’ve ever seen” to begin the rout.
Lee was upset not only at the lop-sided scoreline, but also the lack of fighting spirit his team displayed in their meek capitulation. “The British have a great deal of pride and we’ve dented it quite severely today,” he said. Spain responded to Middleton’s opener with four goals in seven minutes to lead 4-1 at half-time.
After a Juan Fernandez fifth just after the break, Spain scored another three in the final minutes of the game to pile on the agony for Britain. Spanish captain Santi Freixa, who scored twice, said his team had brought an attacking philosophy to the tournament and were capable of beating any opponent on their day.
“Every day we’re growing and improving, learning from what we didn’t do right the day before… today we showed we’re not just here to play in the tournament and we’re in the top four again,” he said. The result means Spain join Australia, New Zealand and the Netherlands in the top four group that will compete for medals at the eight-nation tournament.
But complacency set in after they took a 2-0 lead into the break, with the never-say-die Koreans slamming home three second-half goals, requiring a Tobias Matania shot three minutes from full-time to ensure a 3-3 draw. The draw was not enough after Pool B rivals New Zealand, spurred on by vocal home support, staged a desperate fightback from 3-0 down to earn a 3-3 draw with the Netherlands.
NZ Hockey spokesman Shane McLeod said New Zealand’s Black Sticks were determined to make a mark on the tournament on home soil.
“They’ve wanted to do really well in this, they’re up against really tough opposition and I think you saw the passion take over from the brain,” he said.
Results from match day three of the men’s Champions Trophy field hockey tournament on Tuesday:
Pool A
Spain 8 (Tubau 24, 67; Quemada 25; Freixa 29, 66; Dabanch 31; Fernandez 44, Oliva 70) Great Britain 1 (Middleton 23)
Australia 6 (Dwyer 22, 45, 48; Ockenden 31; Doerner 40; Paterson 53) Pakistan 1 (Tousiq 64)
Pool B
South Korea 3 (You 48; Kim Y-J 54; Seo 64) Germany 3 (Fuchs 31; Montag 34; Matania 67)
New Zealand 3 (Hilton 53; Burrows 55; Couzins 66) Netherlands 3 (Bakker 28; Hertzberger 29; Taekema 48)
Australia, Spain, the Netherlands and New Zealand will compete for the top four places.
Pakistan, South Korea, Germany and Great Britain will contest places 5-8.
