Shaky yet Australia sails into the final, 3-0 against India

Never in the recent past an Australian team looked so vulnerable, with added worst of wayward shooting, yet some specs of brilliance in the early part of the second semifinal saw them making it to yet another final of the Champions Trophy, this time at Melbourne.

With a brace of goals from Jamie Dwyer, the sides changed for lemon time, and then another goal settled the issue of who between India and Australia will be in the in the final.

Indian goalie PT Rao again came out with a brilliant performance, aided by some reflexive and daring tackles of Rupinder Pal Singh, but another defender V. Raghunath was too brazen not to commit blunders.

Australians forwards missed sitters like millionaires, but that was after striking a brace within 16 minutes of the game.

This saved them from home blues, but Indian forwards, expect in the last ten minutes or so, were never in view, nor threatening at all. They indulged in single hand dribbling, making the job of Australian defence easier than expected.

The hosts went into the lead in the third minute itself but after messing up two penalty corners before that.

Jamie Dwyer tapped a rebound in to put the ball over the head of

Rupinder Pal Singh, who first stopped his shot near goaline but not exactly dead.

The second goal of the contemporary hockey’s star is out of frustrated and unprofessional tackle of Indian defender V Raghunath. Australia took a cross, which PT Rao stopped, another forward collected and hit, but it hit the right post and came down to the centre of the circle where Dwyer was waiting to collect. Even as he knelt and about to take a shot, Raghunath focused on his body rather than the ball, pushing him down, and thus inviting the wrath of umpire to show the dreaded spot.

PT Rao in fact went the other side during the stoke, Jamie struck his second goal to the right of the cage. Two goals within first quarter sounded alarm bells, but the Australians subsequently matched Indian fowards in habitual wayward shooting, but they got one in the next half.

Govers, who a minute ago collided with burly Sardar Singh – who had a lean patch today with unforced errors — collected a parallel pass inside the circle to put the question of winners beyond doubt.

Indians gave away too many penalty corners, six in all, while on both occasions they got the same, these could not stand up to umpiring referrals.

Australians, for long known for their set piece perfections, faltered, even they could not stop the last penalty corner push, the pushed ball almost landing in the rival’s 25-yardline!

Indian coach Michael Nobbs sent all his new faces in the team for the last spell, which proved a worth try, as these fresh legs could bring some attacks which had the trappings of a return goal. They even stood out prominently in getting a penalty corner in the dying minutes, but it did not stand third umpire’s scrutiny.

Considering the recent history of India-Australia duels, which almost produced tennis like scores in favour of Australia, including the nightmarish 0-8 drubbing at CWG final, this is by far the best result for Nobbs’ India against Australia.

Now the Melbourne Champions Trophy, already in the sub-continent’s focus what with India and Pakistan making it to the semis, will now meet for the bronze, as eager fans wait for the Sunday cracker.

Earlier, Netherlands defeated Pakistan 6-2 in the first semifinal.