Australia maintained its stranglehold on hockey's Champions Trophy with a 1-0 win over Spain on Sunday, claiming a record fourth straight title through a disputed goal to Eddie Ockenden.
The reigning World champion went into the decider overwhelming favourite but was forced to work hard for its victory by a Spanish side determined to make amends for a disappointing sixth place at the European Championships.
The win at the last major tournament for men's hockey before the London Olympics gave the Kookaburras their 12th Champions Trophy title overall and confirmed their status as the sport's top-ranked team.
“I'm very proud to win again and create history with four times in a row,” said Australia captain Jamie Dwyer, who was named world player of the year for the fifth time.
The final, played in blustery conditions in Auckland, was a defensive affair that only sparked to life when Ockenden netted his winner in the 59th minute.
The Spanish argued the goal came from a dangerous Liam De Young high pass and should have been disallowed, but Korean umpire Kim Hong-Lae waved aside the protest to give Australia the decisive lead.
The results: Final: Australia 1 (Ockenden 59) bt Spain 0. Bronze play-off: Netherlands 5 (Hertzberger 5, De Nooijer 28, van der Weerden 57, de Voogd 67, Bakker 69) bt New Zealand 3 (Wilson 18, Child 33, Jenness 65). Pool ‘D': Germany 1 (Stralkowski 30) bt Great Britain 0; Pakistan 5 (Rizwan Sr. 6, 75, Imran 27, Tousiq 34, Khan 44) bt South Korea 4 (Seo 5, Jang 21, You 54, 62) after extra time (4-4 after 70 mins).
