MELBOURNE: Defending champion Australia and Beijing Olympic gold medallist Germany had opening-day wins at the Champions Trophy men’s hockey tournament on Saturday. Veteran Jamie Dwyer was among the goal-scorers as Australia beat South Korea 4-0.

Germany captain Max Muller’s goal, off a penalty corner with three minutes remaining, gave his side a 3-2 win over England.

The Netherlands edged Spain 3-2 in the last match on Saturday in the tournament that gathers the top six men’s teams in the world.

Dutch veteran Taeka Taekema scored his 41st and 42nd Champions Trophy goals, the first enabling him to surpass Pakistan’s Sohail Abbas as the highest goal-scorer in the tournament’s history.

The two teams with the best records after the round-robin league will play for the championship on December 6.

Desmond Abbott gave Australia a 1-0 lead in the 18th minute and Robert Hammond added another goal five minutes later. Dwyer scored four minutes into the second half before Eddie Ockenden completed the scoring in the 65th minute.

Germany’s Christoph Menke and England’s Ashley Jackson scored first-half goals four minutes apart before Jan-Marco Montag put Germany ahead in the 43rd minute. Jackson’s second goal of the game on a penalty stroke with eight minutes left equalised for England, which is making its first appearance at the Champions Trophy since 2001, before Muller’s late winner. — AP