
The
Kookaburras will enter the semi finals full of confidence after an impressive
win over Pakistan 7-0.
The win
sees them finish on top of the pool and means they are yet to lose a game at
the tournament.
The win
goes some way of putting behind their last two performances in which they blew
a 2-0 lead over Argentina and a 3-0 lead over Great Britain, with both games
ending in draws.
The signs
were all positive for the Kookaburras, with their sublime skills and quick
passing again visible.
The
Kookaburras were able to make the perfect start to the match, scoring in the
4th minutes thanks to Liam De Young from a penalty corner. The initial shot was
taken by Chris Ciriello and saved by the keeper, with De Young making the most
of the rebound.
Things
continued to improve for the Kookaburras when they received a penalty stroke
after Matthew Butturini was deliberately infringed in the circle. Mark Knowles
made no mistake from the stroke, making it 2-0.
The Kookaburras
looked back to their usual selves making clean passes and traps to generate
several scoring opportunities and keep the pressure applied onto Pakistan.
Pakistan
managed to steady the ship slightly, however the Kookaburras defence held firm
and denied any genuine chances.
The
Kookaburras were given a scare when Jamie Dwyer went down holding his shoulder
after a knock off the ball, however he recovered and played out the half.
After
scoring only one goal so far in the tournament, finally The Big Dog Chris
Ciriello had a reason to smile, delivering an extremely powerful flick on goal
from a penalty corner to make it 3-0.
Ciriello
wasn’t done with just yet, scoring his second goal from the top of the circle
just on half time to make it 4-0.
The Kookaburras
were given a chance to extend their lead in the first 30 seconds after half
time when they were awarded a penalty corner, however the shot by Ciriello was
high.
However
they were quick to make amends, with Russell Ford hitting a brilliant shot
after beating his opponent to make it 5-0.
They weren’t done with yet, with Jamie Dwyer showing exactly why he is regarded
as the best in the world, trapping the ball and delivering a deadly shot into
the back of the goal.
Glenn
Turner delivered the final blow following a brilliant play involving Matthew
Butturini and Eddie Ockenden to make it 7-0 and send a warning sign that the
Kookaburras are back in form and ensure Fergus Kavanagh’s 150th match was well
celebrated.
They will
now play arch rivals Germany in the semi final on Thursday. A win will see them
progress to the gold medal match on Saturday.
"I’m very pleased with the result. I would have been happy with a draw but it
doesn’t matter now we are in the semis now and we have to play Germany so we
have a task ahead of us, and we are well aware of that. But today
confirmed our place in the semis so I’m pleased about that,” said Kookaburras
coach Ric Charlesworth.
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