Injuries and tiredness have taken a huge toll in Athens. India are not the only team to have suffered. They took their toll on semi-finalists Spain and Germany so that we are left with the tremendously exciting Netherlands vs Australia final.
The Dutch, excellently coached by Australian Terry Walsh, go for their third successive Olympic golds, something that no country has managed since India’s run of six successive golds ended at Rome in 1960.
For Australia the time has come to break their hoodoo. Three times they have reached the final, the gold has always eluded them.
Though the Australians lost narrowly to the Dutch (2-1) in their final pool game `something of a dead match’ no one will take a second Dutch victory over the Australians as a foregone conclusion.
The Australians produced an amazing display to defeat Spain 6-3. Spain had been in such sparkling form that many fancied them for the gold. If they had maintained their quality, they could have done so though I had my reservations. One wondered firstly if they had they peaked too early and secondly if they could cope with the pressure. Spain has never won a major title.
A lot has been said here about group A which was been described as the pool of death. The opposite group to India’s was undoubtedly the tougher of the two Maurits Hendriks, the Dutchman coaching Spain, said after the semi final, “Unfortunately we reached our best earlier but then we had to in order to reach the semi finals from that group”.
Yesterday a tired Spain was simply over powered by the Australians. Spain had to over play their best players because two of them were carrying injuries. It is very hard on teams with injuries in the sapping weather here. Having only 16 players, as opposed to 18 in World Cups, is a huge handicap.
But that should take nothing away from Australia who, like all very successful teams, have come to their peak in the latter stages of the tournament. They did not give Spain any space, and denied them target men. Said Hendriks, “We had no pressure on the ball, no rhythm in our attack”.
All the Australians contributed to a sensational performance with Barry Dancer describing his captain Bevan George as, “a mountain of a player tonight”. World Cup holders Germany also qualified from the pool of death, for their semi-final with the Dutch. There is never much between these great European rivals. Like Australia, the Dutch defended from the midfield and played a waiting game. It does not lead to the most attractive hockey.
Like the Australians, the Dutch had brilliant individuals to capitalise when they counter-attacked. One of those outstanding attacking players is Teun de Nooiyer, the world’s best player of 2002. His biggest value for the Dutch last night was his superb defending. Yet he still managed to score Netherlands’ decisive third goal in their 3-2 victory.
I tipped Germany to reach the final before their team was announced. I had second thoughts after their selection. How Michael Green can be left out of anyone’s team amazes me. Germany missed him. They appeared to be carrying three players, two not ready for this level of competition, and in leading scorer Bjorn Michel a player carrying an injury. Like Spain they had to over play the others. Through-out this fascinating tournament their defence has looked unusually vulnerable.
One cannot be too critical of India after their 3-0 loss to Pakistan which cost them a place in the next Champions Trophy. With so many injuries they had a tremendous handicap. They did well to hold Pakistan goalless in the first half and they tried hard to get back in the game after conceding the first goal in the 43rd minute. But exhausted players could not make real penetration in the last third of the pitch and too often the ball ended up on a Pakistani stick.
When India play Korea tomorrow in a repeat the 2002 Asian Games final, there will be two very tired teams on the pitch. Even the super-fit Koreans who played in the pool of death, have suffered here.
Courtesy: Patrick Rowley