MELBOURNE: Australia striker Grant Schubert scored three first-half goals as the titleholder beat the Netherlands 7-2 on Sunday, remaining the only undefeated team after two rounds of the Champions Trophy men’s field hockey tournament.
Earlier, Seo Jong-ho’s two second-half goals helped South Korea to a 5-3 win over Beijing Olympic champion Germany, giving both teams 1-1 records.
First-day loser Spain and England played to a 3-3 draw in the final match on Sunday. Eddie Tubau levelled the scores for Spain with just under four minutes remaining after Xavier Ribas had scored twice for Spain and James Tindall had a pair for England.
The top two teams after the round-robin portion of the tournament, which gathers the top six-ranked teams in the world, will play next Sunday’s final.
The Dutch led after three minutes when all-time highest Champions Trophy goalscorer Taeke Taekema notched his 43rd career goal with a drag flick off a penalty corner.
Schubert levelled five minutes later with a penalty stroke, and the host added four more goals before halftime by Glenn Turner, Brent Dancer and Schubert’s second and third of the day just a minute apart.
Australia added two more goals in the second half before Robbert Kemperman scored for the Netherlands with two minutes left.
Australia is unbeaten in its last six Champions Trophy matches against the Netherlands, recording four wins and two draws.
The results:
South Korea 5 (Yang 5, Seo 52, 64, Nam 57, N. Lee 63) bt Germany 3 (Witthaus 32, Montag 38, 70).
Australia 7 (Schubert 8, 33, 34, Turner 19, Dancer 22, Doerner 50, Dwyer 61) bt the Netherlands 2 (Taekema 2, Kemperman 67).
England 3 (Tindall 2, 30, Middleton 32) drew with Spain 3 (Ribas 7, 13, Tubau 67). — AP