Great Britain vs Australia, Olympics 2012 Men's Hockey Bronze medal match

This is the Olympic Bronze medal match in men's hockey. Great Britain face Australia with both teams knowing that this is the last opportunity to leave these Olympic games with a medal. The losers go home with nothing.

The semi-finals were hard for both these teams. After having the best of the first half it was Australia who got the breakthrough against Germany, only to be pegged back five minutes later by Germany. Even after Germany had equalised, Australia continued to press and were unlucky to go in to the half time with the match all square.

The second half started in a similar way to the first half. Australia were making all the ground and eventually got their reward to lead 2-1. This time they held on for twelve minutes but by now, it was Germany making all the running and their pressure eventually paid off and they got the equaliser. Germany kept up the pressure and five minutes later had the lead 2-3 and four minutes after that, it was 2-4. Although Australia tried to fight back it was all over.

 Great Britain were completely overpowered by a dominant Netherlands who all the way through the tournament have looked the side to beat. Great Britain went behind to two goals to the Netherlands but then looked like they might have some fight in them. The got the score back to 2-1 but before the first half ended, Netherlands were 4-1 ahead and Great Britain never really looked like they were in the game.

In the second half, Great Britain tried to be the more aggressive but in chasing the game they left a lot of forward unmarked. Netherlands are masters at the long ball and in a period of seven minutes, they extended their lead from 4-1 to 8-1. Both sides scored again before the end of the match and the final result was 9-2 Netherlands.

The question that has to be asked now, is can Great Britain pull themselves back together and get something from this game?

In the group stage, when these sides met, the final score was 3-3. In that game Australia went 3-0 but took their foot off the accelerator and Great Britain fought their way back into the match.

There are three key players for Great Britain. Hawes, Jackson and Lewers. If these players bring the top game, Great Britain has a real chance at this medal but they need the rest of the team to fire as well. The tactics that failed against Netherlands have to be reversed and that means short balls, ball retention, accurate passes and dominance in the midfield.

Australia will be expecting Dwyer to do what he does best, drive the ball forward and score goals. If great Britain can shut him down, they have a chance. If they can't, he will be man of the match. Alongside Dwyer
Govers and Orchard are the key players who can craft goals from nowhere and all three are capable of turning the game Australia's way.

This promises to be a great game so let's get started.

First Half
The temperature out on the Smurf Turf is hot, very hot. Great Britain get the first free hit of the match but the ball into the circle is easily cut out. The next attack sees Burgers called into action with an easy clearance to the side line.

Great Britain know that this is a match that will be won by the more aggressive side and that's exactly how they have started. Australia are being forced to defend and wait for a chance to break. And now that chance comes through Dwyer. He has a free hit outside the D and Hawes intercepts and clears it off the side. Australia drive into the D but Jackson gets the ball away with Clarke just failing to gather it at the Australian end of the pitch.

Ockenden to Orchard down the left and the ball is injected into the D. Good clearance from Fair to the side line. That was almost a real chance for Australia but Fair gets his pad onto the ball and Great Britain come away on the attack.

This is a very different Great Britain team from the semi-final. They are marking properly, moving the ball quicker, making shorter controlled passes and as a result, are getting possession. In the midfield in particular, they are a more controlled side and that means they are winning the ball and stopping the long runs by attackers.

Great Britain had a sniff of a chance there but couldn't line up a shop and Australia clear.

Long ball forward from Dawes and Great Britain have the free hit in Australia's D. The ball comes back out and around but it is back with Dawes and Mackay wins the free hit which is then wasted. Great Britain forced back into their 23m by the high press from Australia. There is nothing wrong with coming around the back but Great Britain have to be more positive in going forward.

Australia lose the ball in the Great Britain 23m and the ball is fired right up the other end of the pitch and Burgers allows it to run safe.

Sloppy back pass from Fox goes to the stick of Dwyer and Great Britain are lucky to get away with not conceding either a penalty corner or a goal.

Dwyer allowed to run down the left and along the back line. He had Ockenden unmarked in the D but Great Britain get it clear. Australia come again through Carroll but the ball is cut out by Jackson and Great Britain launched their own attack. Middleton gets the ball but fails to make the pass to Clarke who would have had a great chance to score.

This aggression in the midfield is allowing Great Britain to win the ball back in the midfield and that is creating problems for Australia. Great Britain come forward and have a side line hit on their right in Australia's 23m. Ball cleared all the way down the pitch and Fair is out of his D stopping the ball with his stick. Always great to see a goalkeeper that confident.

Dwyer attacks and Great Britain miss their tackles. Dwyer moves the ball off to Orchard who steps into the D and unleashes a shot. Fair gets his glove on it but it was a poor save and Australia have the lead. Great Britain will know that they now have to fight back and not let Australia get away from them.

Great Britain 0 Australia 1

More missed tackling in the 23m from Great Britain and Australia get the ball into the D but it is scrambled away. Once again a poor ball from Great Britain almost lets Australia back in. This is about basic skills and control and Great Britain are being found wanting.

Australia have the free hit on the edge of the D. Ball driven in but the shot from ?? is blocked.

Great run from Wilson is cut out and Australia are really putting Great Britain under a lot of pressure. Time for some short, controlled passing to maintain possession. Fair comes out to make a challenge but it was poor and the ball is eventually cleared with Fair trying to recover.

More Australian pressure through Swann but Jackson is back there making another defensive tackle. Australian attacks coming in wave after wave now and Great Britain are making the mistakes. When they do get the ball away, it is only to an Australian stick and that just results in the ball coming back into the 23m. So far, Great Britain have avoided giving away a penalty corner despite the pressure in the D.

In this heat, the pressure from Australia must start to tell. Martin gathers the ball and drives through three Australian tackles and gets the penalty corner. Time for the equalizer.

Brilliant corner from Great Britain. Jackson hits the ball wide of the post and Lewers comes in with the deflection.

Great Britain 1 Australia 1

Into the last five minutes now and Australia looking for the lead. Great Britain bring the ball away with a brilliant pass from Jackson to Daly but Australia survive. Interception in the middle of the pitch and Australia are on the attack but the ball into the D is knocked away by Wilson. Now Dwyer has a chance but again the ball is knocked clear.

Turner drives into the Great Britain D but the ball just won't drop to a stick for a shot. Great Britain throw the aerial off the end of the pitch to get some relief.

A great run and the ball into the D finds Turner unmarked. Fair gets to it but the rebound hits Lewers and its a penalty corner for Australia. Time for Great Britain to stand firm and see out these last 40 seconds.

Shot from Ciriello and it's saved by Fair who gets his left foot to the ball. Great Britain bring the ball away and that's the end of the half


Second Half
Australia on the attack and they go the full length of the pitch. Only a last minute tackle by Hawes denies a shooting chance.

Great chance in the Australian D from Great Britain but the free hit goes to Australia. Both sides are intent on attacking and this is leaving space behind the defenses. Let's see who can make the most of their chances.

Dwyer on the ball and it's an Australian free hit. Ball into the D from Swann but it just misses the man at the far post.

That was almost the lead from Turner but Fair gets down at his near post and the ball goes clear. Great Britain drive up the pitch through Daly but the ball into the D is too easy for Australia to clear.

Great Britain have the free hit on the left but cannot get a quality shot off. The ball bobbles and goes for a long corner. Yellow card for Wilson for the professional foul. He'd allowed Turner to get behind him and decided to take the card to prevent the risk of a shot on goal. Great Britain now have at least five minutes with just 10 men. 

Dwyer drives from the middle but his final pass is poor and Great Britain are able to get the ball away through Jackson.

Swann to Gohdes and from the free hit looks like it might be a penalty corner. Australia think the same and are asking for the video umpire to award it. They win the review. Hawes breaks early and is sent to the half way line. Great Britain reduced to three plus a goalkeeper. Australia try the slip but Lewers gets a stick on it and the ball goes over the back line. Great Britain survive.

Another free hit to Australia which should have been a penalty corner. Umpire has now missed two in a row. Smith was inside the circle when it came up off his stick and hit his chest. Australia will be looking to get something from their third penalty corner of the match.

Once again Australia complicate it but the ball is eventually off of the helmet of Fair and Dwyer gets the final touch on the ball. Tough on a goalkeeper when that happens

Great Britain 1 Australia 2

Australia right back on the attack and that's another penalty corner cleared by Great Britain but not for long. On the next attack, Australia go back to the video umpire and win a penalty corner that they waste. 

Wilson is back on the pitch for Great Britain and both sides are back to full strength.

The pressure from Australia is relentless and now Tindall is complaining to the umpire that they should have had a free hit. Australia come forward and Fair keeps them in the game.

Tindall to Martin who drives through several players but the drop pass is nowhere near a Great Britain player. Australia can now look to come again and we are down to just over fifteen minutes left.

Shot from Dwyer, saved by Fair but he just pushes it back out to Govers who calmly clips it into the goal. That all came from poor tackling by Great Britain outside the D and unmarked players inside the D. Fair will also know that he should have got more power on that ball.

Great Britain 1 Australia 3

Great Britain cannot score when defending their own D. They need to drive that ball up into the Australian D and get the shot off.

Dwyer is controlling this match for Australia. Once again the ball is into the D but this time Fair comes and kicks the ball clear., Great Britain go down the other end but can't get the ball into the D. Australia are defending with a lot of men. 

Almost a penalty corner there for Great Britain but it came off an Australia stick not a foot.

Great run by Middleton, goes down the back line and the ball across the D is just cut out by Australia.

Great Britain now resorting to a kicking back with just under five minutes to go. This is a risk. Daly gets into the D but the ball goes for a long corner. Great ball across the D but Burgers gets a foot to the ball and although it went high, it was not dangerous. A small period of sustained pressure from Great Britain but the cannot get the shot away or win a penalty corner.

Now Australia have the free hit and are looking for some relief. Great Britain escape and are coming back at Australia but they just can't make anything of it.

Into the last minute and Australia are resorting to deep defending, looking for the break to use up time. The clock is now counting down and Australia take the ball into the corner to eat up the last few seconds.  

That's the final whistle and Australia have the bronze medal.

Conclusion
The first half started with Great Britain being the more aggressive and putting Australia under pressure. They made good yardage and were playing a brand of controlled hockey with short passes, players looking for the ball and strong challenges when their opponents came forward.

Slowly, as Great Britain tired, Australia got into their stride and the game turned. Now it was Australia making all their tackles and winning the 50:50 balls. Great Britain were leaving gaps and Australian players like Dwyer were running into the space and exploiting the chances.

That pressure eventually paid off with a great run from deep by Dwyer, through a few challenges and a pass to Orchard just outside the D. The shot from the top was ferocious and although Fair did get to the ball, he couldn't stop it going into the goal.

Great Britain came back but had to be mindful of leaving room for Australia. After surviving a few chances against them, Great Britain were awarded a penalty corner courtesy of a great drive into the D by Martin. As Australia prepared themselves for the high ball, Jackson slipped the ball to Lewers who scored the deflection.

The last few minutes belonged to Australia who came right back at Great Britain, winning a penalty corner with just a minute to go but the shot was kicked away by Fair.

The second half was a much more frenetic half than the first. Australia came hard at Great Britain and created a lot of chances. Great Britain were put on the back foot and just couldn't relieve the pressure until it was too late.

Australia made very effective use of the video referral to pile the pressure on Great Britain. This game them several penalty corners and they went ahead from one of them but failed to convert several other chances. The winning goal did not come from a penalty corner but from a great open play move. The ball taken down the Australian right, crossed into the D and a snapshot from Dwyer forced the glove save from Fair. The ball came off Fair, into the air and Govers calmly put the ball into the net.

Great Britain were forced to take Fair off and resort to the kicking back with almost five minutes left on the clock. This gave them the opportunity to put pressure on Australia. Time and again they drove to the D but Australia just blocked them out.

Australia were worthy winners of this bronze medal match and although Great Britain clearly came to play, they just didn't have enough left in the tank. Dwyer was a deserved man of the match.

One thing that will rumble on after this tournament, is the use of the video umpire. Australia have been the most effective users of the system so far and in this game they kept Great Britain under pressure by winning several referrals. Yes it slowed the game down a little but it did show that the misses by the on field umpires were worthy of being overturned.

What will have caused more concern at the FIH is the reaction of players when they lose the video referral. There has been a spate of players surrounding the umpire and trying to put additional pressure on them in the same way as we have seen in football. This has to be stamped out now. The worst behaviour was the USA who were asking for players to be carded and the FIH needs to strengthen the rules over undue pressure and questioning of umpires.

Great Britain vs New Zealand Olympics 2012, Bronze Medal match

Great Britain and New Zealand face off the bronze medal with both knowing that only a medal will be jsut reward for a good campaign.

In the semi finals, Great Britain were well beaten by Argentina while New Zealand were unlucky to lose in the shoot out to Netherlands. How much those matches and losses will have taken out of these two teams is hard to guess but they will both have put the losses behind them and be ready for this game.

Both of the goalkeepers, Storry and Russell have played out of their skins in this tournament and both had two clean sheets in the group phase. Overall, Russell has probably had the better tournament but there is little between them.

Defences have generally performed well and while Great Britain have given away more chances, due mainly to the disruption caused by injuries in their first game.

In the midfield, the battle will be tight with New Zealand playing five across the middle compared to Great Britain's four. Both sides are starting with two players up front but it will be penalty corners that will make the difference. Here Great Britain has the edge with Cullen one of the most prolific scorers in recent years.

Great Britain will be relying on the talismanic Walsh who will again captain this game despite her jaw injury. They will also be looking for big games from Richardson, Danson and Cullen. New Zealand will be hoping Glynn brings her A game and will be hoping that Sharland, Punt and Flynn play as well as they did against Netherlands.

The weather will have an impact. It is very hot out there and both teams will have to use their substitutions effectively.


First Half
New Zealand have first use of the ball but send a long ball off the back of the pitch. Great Britain go on the charge and had a real chance in the D but the bgall wouldn't go to stick. Another Great Britain attack but they can't get past the New Zealand defence.

New Zealand can now work the ball away but only as far as the half way line but they soon get it back. The first aerial ball comes from New Zealand but is easily cut out.

Danson has another attack but again loses out to a great tackle on the edge of the D. Great Britain waste another attack with a long ball off the side.

Danson moving from wing to wing and that is giving her a lot more room. New Zealand seem unable to contain her in the same way Argentina did and that should create more chance for Great Britain.

NEw Zealand find the Great Britain D but the ball is calmly intercepted and cleared. Great Britain can now come again through Walsh and Twigg. The ball is in the New Zealand D but there is no Great Britain player near enough to make anything of it. White and Cooper have a collision in the 23m and the New Zealand player comes off the worst.

Great Britain winning many of the midfield battles but New Zealand are making the key tackles at the back.

With nine minutes gone, Great Britain have started the more positively.

Some basic skill errors there, you need to stop the ball before you can use it. Walsh is very calm at the back and makes an easy interception as New Zealand look to break.

New Zealand come forward again and Great Britain have some defending to do here. The ball break for Forgesson but is wide of Storry's post.

Against Argentina, Great Britain were guilty of panic and trying the long ball rather than build up play. Today, they are making the short passes, coming back to collect the ball and this is giving them more control over this game.

Long ball forward is collected by Danson but Eshuis makes a great tackle. Great Britain hit outside the D but the ball comes all the way back to the halfway before being hit into Rogers who is well marked. New Zealand can clear and begin to build an attack but Bartlett intercepts and forward come Great Britain again. The ball into the D, however, is poor but some persistent work and great dribbling by Macleod in the D forces Russel into a desperate kick which results in a penalty corner for Great Britain.

Cullen shoots, off Russell and just past the prone Macleod who cannot make the rebound. Away come New Zealand but the long ball is deflected for a corner by Great Britain. Free hit on the edge of the D is taken by Cooper and her hit into the D is cleared by Storry.

Another ball in and this time Storry puts it off the back. Punt trying to get this ball in for New Zealand and she wins a free hit. New Zealand move the ball across the field but Walton intercepts and then loses it again.

Great Britain now have the ball on the sideline and win a free hit but the Richardson can't prevent the ball going off the back line.

Great ball into the D from New Zealand but Great Britain get it away and have their own chance at the far end. New Zealand clear the ball and Danson is brought down by Cooper for the penalty corner.

Cullen fired that in like a rocket but a fantastic dive by Russell and she gets her stick on the ball to deny Great Britain. Some great defending by New Zealand to prevent Great Britain getting another chance on goal and New Zealand can bring the ball away but it comes up off a New Zealand stick and Great Britain make three changes.

Sharland is beginning to assert herself in the middle and New Zealand are beginning to win more of the ball. The final balls into the D, however, are still not going to a New Zealand stick and Great Britain are able to clear easily and put the ball long.

As another Great Britain attack breaks down, Macleod is down having taken a knock. She is soon back on her feet and stays on the pitch. New Zealand are now beginning to win many of the 50/50 balls in the middle and that has to be a concern for Great Britain.

Crowd are starting to get behind the home team who respond with a move down the right. It soon breaks down and New Zealand are in the 23m and win a long corner. New Zealand force away and the long ball from Eshuis goes harmlessly into the Great Britain goal. There were two attackers who just couldn't get a stick to that ball.

Poor clearance from Great Britain, a chance for New Zealand and who else to stop them but Walsh. The more Walsh can exude confidence, the more the rest of the team can feed off of it.

New Zealand bring the ball away from their D and into the Great Britain 23m but it comes off of Flynn's foot and Great Britain get some relief. 30 minutes gone and despite the lack of goals, there have been chances and the game has been exciting.

Walsh gives the ball away but there is some great recovery running from Great Britain and Cullen puts in a timely tackle. Neither side will want to concede in this last three minutes.

Great Britain attack, Walton to Rogers but the ball in to the D is poor. Richardson gets it back for Great Britain but this time the ball is too close to Russell who gets it away. A quick break for New Zealand and with one minute left in the half, New Zealand win a penalty corner.

Clock is still running so this is going to be the last action of this half. New Zealand try the deflected ball. Ball fired in by Eshuis but Harrison cannot get the deflection on goal


Second Half
Great Britain on the attack right from the whistle but New Zealand are the first to get a chance. The ball into the D comes off Glynn and through the legs of Storry and hits the post. A diving Storry gets the ball clear. That was the closest we have come so far to a goal.

Great Britain break through Richardson and White but the ball is soon recovered by New Zealand. That last attempt will boost New Zealand while Great Britain need to be careful not to go into their shell.

Long corner New Zealand but Great Britain push them back to the halfway line. New Zealand the quicker to get the ball now but Great Britain are on the attack. A poor long ball is cut out and while Great Britain get it back, they make a mess of it.

New Zealand are really pressuring the Great Britain defence and chances are starting to appear. That time the ball is knocked away but New Zealand come again. A bit of end to end play with neither side making the most of the ball.

New Zealand are pressing the Great Britain defence when they try and move the ball around the back. This is resulting in some long speculative passes that are just not going anywhere.

Twigg takes a big hit on the foot by a ball from Forgesson. That will sting.

Long ball gets through to Danson who drives into the D. The defence converge upon her but she just cannot get the ball back to Richardson but Great Britain get second prize, a penalty corner.

Great strike from Walsh, Danson gets the deflection and it's a GOAL!

Great Britain 1 New Zealand 0

New Zealand right back at Great Britain but cannot get a shot off. 24 minutes left in this game and there will be more goals at this rate.

Macleod wins the ball on the edge of the New Zealand D but it is cleared by Russell. The next ball in is too close to Russell who makes a much better clearance this time. Great Britain again unable to convert pressure in the D due to great defending by New Zealand.

A New Zealand drive into the Great Britain D is iniitally called for a penalty corner but Walsh asked for a video review for dangerous play. Ball came up off of Michelson's stick but was on goal, leaving Walsh to get her hand to it to prevent another ball in the face. Team referral overturned and the penalty corner stands.

Strike stopped by Great Britain who had a three on one but fast recovering New Zealand defenders get it away and we stay at 1-0.

The speed of this game shows no sign of slowing. Players from both sides are now having to roll on and off more frequently. Sharland fires the ball wastefully into the D and it goes off the back.

Great Britain attack with Rogers. Feeds the ball to Bartlett who can't get the ball to the players on the far post but she does win another penalty corner. A real mess by Great Britain at the top of the D allows New Zealand to bring the ball away. The missed tackle count for both sides is rising and too many balls are going to the opposition stick. The short passing game of the first half is being slowly replaced by long, hopeful, balls to no-one in particular.

Good attack by New Zealand but they are beginning to snatch at the ball when inside the D. A little more composure from New Zealand could well see the equaliser. It is far too early for panic.

Danson in the D plays the ball to Twigg. Russell out quickly and closing it down but the ball hits a New Zealand foot and its a penalty corner. Drag flick from Cullen and that's the second goal for Great Britain giving them some measure of control over this game.

Great Britain 2 New Zealand 0

New Zealand try hard to strike back immediately but Great Britain defend well and are now back on the attack. That ball into the D could have gone anywhere. Instead New Zealand get it away and start an attack of their own through Sharland. The aerial ball is cut out by Cullen who wins a free hit.

Great Britain have nine minutes to hold on to a 2-0 lead.

Wasted ball into the D from Sharland. Nobody was going to get on the end of that and it relieves the pressure New Zealand were trying to create. Great Britain charge up the pitch, Macleod drives into the D and it's another penalty corner through poor defending from Eshuis.

Walsh hits the ball wide of the post and Thomas is there with the stick on the ground for the deflection. Classic, text book deflection. Record it and teach it to your junior players.

Great Britain 3 New Zealand 0

Under seven minutes left in this match and it would take a complete collapse by Great Britain to let New Zealand in. White drives the ball down the base line but Danson just cannot deflect it in for a fourth goal.

Danson dances down the left sideline and goes through several New Zealand players, eventually winning the free hit. Great Britain not letting up at all. Any thoughts of defending this lead have been forgotten. Great Britain want more goals and so do the crowd.

New Zealand have a chance to get a goal back. Excellent drive into the D by Michelsen and its a penalty corner for New Zealand. The ball is fired low and to the right of Storry by Eshuis and Michelsen gets the final touch to deflect it into the goal.

Great Britain 3 New Zealand 1

Under two minutes and New Zealand come again but this time Great Britain bring the ballaway down the right with Danson. Ball turned over and Punt tries a quick shot from the top of the D but it is a long way over the bar.

Great Britain have the ball with 30 seconds remaining and will use all the time that they can.

Final whistle
Great Britain 3 New Zealand 1
Bronze for Great Britain


Conclusion
That was a busy first half from both teams. Great Britain came out meaning business and took the game to New Zealand. Good pressure from the midfield resulted in attacks on the New Zealand goal. Russell looked tentative at the beginning of this match but was still able to clear the ball and prevent Great Britain taking the lead.

About 20 minutes in, the game started to change. New Zealand were beginning to win more ball in the middle of the pitch but their final ball into the D has been poor. Right at the end of the half, Harrison should have stolen a goal for New Zealand when she was unmarked from the penalty corner but just couldn't deflect the ball into the net.

Both sides came out for the second half looking to take an early lead. New Zealand should have taken the lead but Glynn was unlucky to see the ball come back off of the post. It was Great Britain who were broke the deadlock from a penalty corner. The ball was struck in by Walsh and it was a diving Danson who deflected it past Russell in the New Zealand goal.

New Zealand were determined not to give up and first Michelsen and then Eshuis were denied before Russell made a good save to deny Walton. By now, Great Britain were beginning to turn the screw and had a penalty corner but failed to use it. Harrison then had a chance to equalise but the shot was blocked and within two minutes, Great Britain had another penalty corner and Cullen buried it in the corner.

Now New Zealand were chasing the game and that game Great Britain space to get the ball up the field and four minutes later it was 3-0 when Walsh fired the ball in from a penalty corner and Thomas got the deflection.

It looked like Great Britain could get more. Danson had a great chance but couldn't control the deflection. By now New Zealand were running out of time and although Michelsen scored a late consolation goal from a penalty corner, it was Great Britain who finished the game with the bronze medal.

This was a fast and hard game with both sides showing enterprise but in the end, it was Great Britain who took their chances from penalty corners who won

Great Britain vs Netherlands, Olympics 2012 Men's Hockey Semi-Final

This is the second semi-final of the men's competition and on paper this is a real David and Goliath match. These might be the world ranked number one and number four sides, but Netherlands have been on form throughout this competition while Great Britain have, at time, struggled.

Great Britain will have three things in their favour tonight. The first is that no-one really believes that they can do it so the pressure is on Netherlands to deliver the win. The second is home advantage. The crowd in the Riverside Arena will be on their side and if they can hook to that energy, it will give them the equivalent of an extra man. The third advantage is self belief. Jason Lee has built a team that is capable of beating anyone on their day and, for many, there can be no better day than this one.

As far as the teams go, Stockmann has stopped almost everything that has come his way in this tournament and he is one of the most formidable goalkeepers in the world. Fair is no slouch either but has, at times, been beaten just a little easily.

The two defences are evenly matched as is the midfield. The Netherlands strikers are the more experienced but Great Britain are hungrier. This game may well come down to special teams and in particular, the penalty corner specialists. Here, Great Britain have done well throughout this competition but Netherlands are perhaps the finest exponents of this technique in the world today.

First Half
Great Britain get us underway and immediately go on the attack, forcing a long corner but the Netherlands force the play away and Great Britain find themselves back in their D. Lewis is caught in possession but Hawes gets the ball back and Great Britain can now bring the ball away again.

Netherlands have possession and win a long corner through De Nooijer. Great Britain defend well and push forward but Netherlands come right back at them. That final ball from Netherlands should have been better and Great Britain need to be more controlled when they have the ball.

Great Britain up into the Netherlands 23m but lose the ball far too easily. Great Britain have the ball back and move the ball from side to side. Now they are moving forward and a quick ball to Hawes sees him charge into the D but the ball is cleared by Netherlands. It was a great stick clearance by Stockmann.

Netherlands break quickly but the ball was fired in from outside but there was no touch and it runs dead. Netherlands are making very easy yards when they get the ball which will be of concern to Great Britain.

That was a very busy opening five minutes but unlike the earlier semi-final, there have been much fewer changes so far. A collision in the middle of the pitch sees Vermeulen leave the field in what looks like some pain. Speculation at this point of a collar bone injury.

Netherlands on the attack and a good smother tackle by Fair on Verga forces the ball away. Great Britain were very lucky there and that has to serve as a warning call for the defence. More offence from Netherlands and this time the ball is on a foot and it's a penalty corner.

That ball was fired in like a rocket by Weusthof, high and to the left of Fair and that's the first goal to Netherlands

Great Britain 0 Netherlands 1

Great Britain immediately fire back but the shot from Jackson was well saved by Stockmann. Netherlands back on the attack now and they win a free hit. The ball is moved around the back but when it comes into the Great Britain D, it is easily picked off. There was no Netherlands player anywhere near the ball.

The arm wrestle in the midfield is going Netherlands way and this gives them another attack which results in another shot by de Voogd onto the foot of Smith and that's another penalty corner.

A complete mess at the top of the D but Netherlands get to the ball first, the ball is sent in, bobbles around and comes to Weusthof. His shot is right through the feet of Fair.

Great Britain 0 Netherlands 2

We are just 10 minutes in and it's already time for Great Britain to dig deep and prove that they want this match. They might have pulled three goals back against Australia in the group stage but Netherlands are not going to give them the same time.

Good pressure from Great Britain and Martin wins a penalty corner. A chance here to reduce the deficit and put some pressure on Netherlands. Fantastic drag flick by Jackson, just above the back board to Stockmann's right. Those are difficult shots to get to as a goalkeeper.

Great Britain 1 Netherlands 2

That goal puts some pressure back on Netherlands who might have already started to think their job was done. A fantastic break by Great Britain, and Daly just fails to deflect the ball past Stockmann. Netherlands resorting to a couple of long balls to relieve the pressure but now they have the break, it's in the D and Fair puts the ball high. A stick above the shoulder means the goal is wiped off but Netherlands have another short corner.

This game is much faster than the earlier game. This time Van Der Weerden puts the ball very low and to the right of Fair. He's a very tall keeper and getting down to those shots is very hard. At this rate, we could see a lot of goals tonight.

Great Britain 1 Netherlands 3

Netherlands come forward, the ball goes to the unmarked de Nooijer and Fair gets down and smothers the shot. Great Britain get the ball onto a Netherlands foot and start an attack of their own. Netherlands were lucky to get that ball away as Great Britain drive into their D. But as fast as the play breaks down at one end, the ball ends up back at the other.

Netherlands have a chance, but Great Britain get it away. In the midfield, Great Britain are looking about a yard short of the Netherlands pace and that means losing too many tackles and putting themselves under pressure.

Away come Great Britain with the ball through Lewers. They try moving the ball around the back but pressure from Netherlands brings the long pass which is intercepted. Jolie goes down like a football player and there is no place for amateur dramatics in hockey. Now he's up and running down the pitch.

Ball back in Netherlands 23m and they play it from side to side until they get a chance to throw the long ball to Weusthof and the ensuing shot saved by Fair.

A good drive by Great Britain and Stockmann does just enough to deny Martin. Netherlands now slowing the game down but a quick injection of pace once again leaves a striker unmarked and Great Britain escape again. Ball back down the other end of the pitch and it flies across the Netherlands D but there is no player near enough to make anything of it.

Netherlands get an attack, Weusthof drives into the D, loses the ball and then is a bit silly. That challenge on Jackson earns him a green card and two minutes on the bench.

Both sides now breathing hard and you can see the sweat pouring off these players. Great Britain get an attack through Tindall but he can't get it into the D. This gives Netherlands a chance to bring the ball away and slow the game down just a little. Great Britain win the ball but can't do anything with it. Netherlands collect the ball in the middle of the pitch, drive into the Great Britain D. move it around and the final push is from Bakker.

Great Britain 1 Netherlands 4

This is clinical finishing from Netherlands and all possible through well made passes and some poor tackling by Great Britain.

And that's the half time hooter.

This first half has been a lesson for Great Britain in how to control the ball, create movement and score goals. The Netherlands always seem to have players open and when the get into the D, make sure to get a shot off. Great Britain, by comparison, have failed to take some of their chances and that has allowed Netherlands to play with some freedom.

Both goalkeepers have been busy but Stockmann has been the more composed. Fair has been exposed by some poor defending and beaten by some well placed shots. If Great Britain are to get back into this game in the second half, they will need to take every chance that comes their way and build a concrete wall around their D.

The scoring is not yet finished in this match and with a three goal margin, Netherlands will allow themselves the freedom to get creative and that could just, maybe, give Great Britain one or two openings of their own. However, Great Britain are going to be chasing the game and the defence will need to work extra hard to prevent Netherlands exploiting the gaps that will inevitably appear.


Second Half
Great Britain signal their intention with a drive right into Netherlands D and get a penalty corner. This has to be converted if Great Britain want to get back into this match. Drag flick is charged down and the second effort from Jackson is only just wide of the post. Umpire awarded another penalty corner and Netherlands have challenged this but the video referral cannot conclusively prove the decision was wrong so the penalty corner stands.

Netherlands are now getting into a debate with the umpire. This is bad for the image of hockey and players need to respect the decision of the officials. This is where yellow cards should be used.

Penalty corner taken but Netherlands players are so fast, Jackson just cannot get the shot off. Van Der Weerden takes a hard knock on the ankle and is being helped off the pitch. Great Britain have the ball back, drive into the D but just cannot work Stockmann. The shot goes wide.

Great Britain cannot convert their chances and this allows Netherlands to move the ball up the pitch. Tindall has a great chance for a goal but having drawn Stockmann he makes a poor pass to Daly instead of taking the shot. You can't score if you don't work the keeper and the last thing Great Britain needs is strikers getting shy about taking shots on goal.

Almost a great long ball in there but its picked off by a Netherlands stick and away they come with the ball. Only nine minutes gone in this half and the pace is frenetic. Another drive into the D by Netherlands, Fair covers his post, defenders fail to intercept and Bakker takes the pass and scores past a diving Fair.

Great Britain 1 Netherlands 5

Another strike from the edge of the D by De Voogd, Fair couldn't stop it completely and De Nooijer pushes the ball into the back of the open goal.

Great Britain 1 Netherlands 6

22 minutes left in this game and Great Britain are so intent on chasing the game they are leaving men unmarked at the back. Fair found himself two on one and Evers scores the seventh goal. This is a masterclass in international hockey.

Great Britain 1 Netherlands 7

Every goalkeeper will be feeling for Fair at the moment. It will be so hard for him to pick himself up and stay positive for the rest of this game. In two days time he has to face Australia. Just as I say that, Netherlands break and from an acute angle, and Bakker threads the ball past Fair and that's another goal.

Great Britain 1 Netherlands 8

Once again, Netherlands break and there are two unmarked men in the Great Britain 23m Fair does superbly well to force the player to turn away and the defence scramble back to get the ball away. This time the bounce just goes against Netherlands and the ball goes out for a long corner.

There is still some fight in Great Britain and they are doing their best down at Netherlands end of the pitch but once again no shot. The last four goals for Netherlands came in a six minute golden period.

Clarke gets the ball into the Netherlands 23m but it well tackled and the Netherlands are just passing the ball around with ease. Great Britain having to chase everything but they get the ball back.

Cross from Great Britain but its picked off by Jolie and another attack is snuffed out.

Great Britain come again but the tackling from Netherlands is positive and the ball is back at the Great Britain end of the pitch. Fair is on the edge of his D forcing the ball away but Netherlands work a penalty corner, their first of this half. Ball comes out to Weusthof and he has all the time in the world to pick his spot for the drag flick.

Great Britain 1 Netherlands 9

Cheers from the crowd as Great Britain finally win a penalty corner. Stockmann will be looking to keep this out but the stadium is full of people willing the ball in. Netherlands break early and the penalty corner is retaken but to no avail. Ball beats Stockmann but hits the post. Great Britain are have wretched luck here this evening.

We are seeing some determined Great Britain possession in the middle of the pitch now. The players faces show that they are still trying, even though they must realise the match has gone. This is about pride now and they will want to try and do something for this crowd who have been magnificent. No boos, no slow hand clapping, just positive support.

The ball is fired into the D and Moore gets a consolation goal for Great Britain. Flags wave around the stadium.

Great Britain 2 Netherlands 9

It looks like a late fightback from Great Britain. They are not giving up and are digging deep. The crowd are singing. Hofman is free and gets the ball but Fair stands up to him and he cannot find a shot and when he tries the pass, it comes off a Great Britain foot for a penalty corner.

Fair denies Weusthof with a great glove save and the ball is cleared by Great Britain. They may have lost this game but they are not going to concede double figures. Lewers gets a green card and there is 90 seconds left to play. Can Great Britain pull another one back. They have a free hit just outside the Netherlands D. Ball is fired across and can only have been millimetres away from the deflection.

Netherlands break with Bakker and Fair denies them again. The crowd are cheering everything Great Britain do. They really have been the 12th man tonight.

Final hooter goes.


This was a dominant a display as you will see at an international level. Great Britain were taken apart by the best in the world but when four goals were scored in a matter of just six minutes, Great Britain were blown away. The more goals Netherlands scored, the more Great Britain had to chase the game and that just exposed the defence.

There will be many who were unhappy with Great Britain reverting to a 5-3-2-1 approach who will say that the tactics and the side were wrong. That is rubbish. This team did the best it could but on the night were faced with a side that were imperious and would have beaten anyone else in this competition. It is worth remembering that Netherlands have not dropped a single point throughout this competition.

Netherlands will now be looking to beat Germany on Saturday in the gold medal game and on this performance, I cannot see Germany relishing the challenge. Great Britain will have to pick themselves up in order to face Australia for the bronze and there will be some significant pressure on them to come away with at least that.

Argentina vs Great Britain, Olympics 2012 Hockey Semi-final

Argentina and Great Britain come into this match, both on good form. Argentina has come through a very tough group in first place but isn't really firing on all cylinders yet. The best ladies hockey player in the world, Luciana Aymer has yet to really play her best in this tournament but even when not at her best, she is still very dangerous.

For Great Britain, the talismanic Kate Walsh will definitely start despite her surgery a week ago. Crista Cullen, the outstanding penalty corner specialist at this tournament will need to be on her very best if she is to beat Laura del Colle in the Argentine goal.

The last time the majority of these players met, was the Champions Trophy 2011 in Argentina. On that day, Argentina beat England and the English players in this team will be looking to avenge that defeat, especially as they now have home advantage

If the first semi-final was tight and end-to-end stuff, this one will be even more so. Both sides will want to win this in normal time and avoid the lottery of golden goal extra time and the new format shoot out. The winners will be the team that can run for the whole 70 minutes and keep their composure under pressure. The two goalkeepers, Laura del Colle and Beth Storry will have a long hard night and neither of them will be looking forward to the thought of the shoot out at the end of a long evening.

First Half
Great Britain got the first attack in, driving the ball down the right hand side and deep into the Argentine 23m. After a few attempts to get the ball in to the D it finally went off the back line, allowing Argentina to relieve the pressure. Great Britain quickly win the ball back and put in another attack but once again it comes to nothing.

After being muscled off the  ball by the USA a few days ago, Argentina started the game with some very physical challenges and were warned by the umpire to calm down. All this with just two minutes of the match gone.

It didn't take long for Argentina to get their first chance at the Great Britain goal. A long ball, fired in that was easily swept away to the sideline. Argentina quickly took the sideline hit, drove into the D and picked up the first penalty corner. on replay, the ball seemed to be lifted but it would have been a hard call to disallow that and it was too early in the game for Great Britain to risk losing its referral to the video umpire

The ball was injected quickly, and Rodriguez Perez had just enough time to get the shot off, just evading the charging Cullen. The ball was low and to the left of Storry in the Great Britain goal and it's  1-0 to Argentina. This was just the start Argentina were looking for. From the restart, Great Britain looked to hit back and although they got the ball down to the Argentine D, they still couldn't do anything with it.

The sticks were beginning to really fly in now and Argentina picked up another warning from the umpires for loose stick play. The ball is back at the Argentine end of the pitch but Great Britain are still unable to get the shot away. Argentina bring the ball away and seem to have plenty of time to play it around the back.  Some really loose passes here from both sides and the game goes a little quiet.

A Rebecchi drive into the Great Britain D almost led to a shot on goal but she was dispossessed just before she could get the shot off. Great Britain come away with the ball and Danson looked for room to run but she is being closely marked by as many as three players at times. Great Britain drove into the 23m area and a push in the back on Danson should have brought a penalty corner.

After all that sustained pressure from Great Britain, Argentina finally got a free hit and a chance to bring the ball away. The ball is moved quickly down the Argentine left to a player who is completely unmarked but Walsh got across quickly to make the tackle but instead gives away a free hit just outside the D. Argentina quickly take the hit but Walsh, looking a little intimidating in her face protection, wins the ball back, fairly this time.

Great Britain move the ball from side to side around the back and then go for the long arial down the right side but the whole move goes nowhere. Argentina took the sideline hit quickly but it runs off the far end of the pitch. Danson gets another chance to drive the ball into the Argentine D and wins a sideline hit. Great Britain move the ball around the back until Walsh tried the long forward pass which goes harmlessly off the end of the pitch.

Cullen went up in support of the attack as Great Britain tried to pin Argentina into their own D. The heavy marking on Danson should be creating much more room for other players. Unfortunately, Great Britain aren't taking advantage of this. A mistake by Great Britain allowed Argentina to launch forward into the Great Britain 23m area. Good defending from Great Britain but the clearance went back to Argentina who win a free hit.

Composure will be the key to this game and at the moment, Argentina look the more composed when on the ball, both in attack and defence.

A spate of missed tackles by Great Britain left them perilously close to the umpires reaching for their green cards. Too many of the Great Britain clearances are now going straight to Argentine sticks. As a result, the ball keeps coming back and back. Great Britain are also slow on the ball, which has allowed Argentina to win the ball in key areas of the pitch.

Not only are Great Britain having a problem clearing the ball from their 23m but Richardson is getting very animated out there, shouting at her own team mates and needs to calm down and keep her head. Thomas came back to collect the ball, drove it forward to the Argentine 23m and then shot it into the D where it was deflected off the back line. Argentina are constantly getting everyone behind the ball to prevent any Great Britain shot and eventually they get a free hit and clear the ball.

Great Britain intercept and drive the ball back in again but they just cannot find a telling ball into the D and get anyone on it. Attack after attack from Great Britain ends in a free hit to Argentina. Great Britain are lucky not to have lost a player to a yellow card when a stick is lifted into the face of Habif. Argentina are quickly back on the attack first down the left, then the right and then back down the left. Finally they get some room on the Great Britain right but Walsh comes away with the ball.

With just over 6 minutes to go, Argentina came forward looking for a second goal but Aymar is denied by some great work from Storry. Although she is able to get the rebound, it goes harmlessly over the bar. Great Britain quickly get the ball to the Argentine end of the pitch and under extreme pressure, Danson manages to manufacture a shot from nothing, which just goes wide of the post.

Argentina's response was to get the ball forward through an arial ball but it goes nowhere and Great Britain turn it around and go back on that attack. The problem is that the ball once again goes to a player who tries to run through the entire Argentine defence giving away the ball in the processes.

Great Britain are now missing tackle after tackle and have allowed Rebecchi to take the ball to the back line and drive into the D. Storry comes to make the tackle but a fabulous bit of skill from Rebecchi moves the ball beyond Storry and then she just rolls it into the goal. 2-0 Argentina. The two recovering Great Britain defenders were just too slow to react and prevent the ball going over the line.

Great Britain players are arguing with umpire Roach about an offence which cannot be reviewed and if they are not careful, somebody is going to be sent off.

From the restart, Great Britain get the ball into the Argentine area but just can't create a scoring opportunity. Argentina bring the ball away and Great Britain just need to see out the last few seconds of this half and get into the changing room and reset their minds.

Despite the possession that Great Britain had in the first half, they were unable to turn it into any meaningful attack or shot on goal. As the half went on, play got more an more animated and composure went out of the window. If Great Britain are to get back into this match, they need to find a quick goal at the start of the second half and then contain Argentina.


Second Half

Great Britain started the second half in the same manner as the first half. Long ball into the Argentine 23m area but it rolls off the back line, allowing Argentina to get it clear. Great Britain intercepted the ball from the restart and moved it across the pitch to Danson who drove in to the D, winning a free hit.

The ball goes into the D and although Great Britain once again failed to get off a decent shot, they did win a penalty corner. Cullen steps up, the ball is injected, stopped and brave running from an Argentine defender forced the ball out of play at the sideline. Danson has taken the hit quickly but made a mess of it, allowing Argentina to take their time and get the ball away.

The relieving ball sails into the crowd and Great Britain have taken the free hit and driven themselves back into the Argentine 23m area. Thomas is once again isolated with the ball and this has happened all too often. Whenever Great Britain have had possession, the Argentine defence has isolated the player on the ball and nobody has made a post run to help them find a route out.

Thomas is winning free hit after free hit but she has nowhere to go, Eventually the ball goes over the back line and Argentina get a chance to put the ball in the Great Britain half. It was a poor clearance and Great Britain have once again driven the ball toward the Argentine D but there is nobody able to get a shot onto the goalkeeper.

The game has now settled into a pattern. Great Britain put Argentina under pressure in their half of the pitch, run out of options and Argentina hit the ball long and off the Great Britain back line. This forces Great Britain to turn around, collect the ball and start again. It might not be pretty hockey but it is effective and it is eating up the time.

Walsh is working very hard, feeding the ball forward to the midfield who are trying to get the ball into Danson or Richardsen but the final balls are just not coming off. Danson gets the ball again, drives through two Argentine players and wins another free hit just outside the D. The hit is taken, the ball fired in but it is easily cleared by the massed Argentine defence. Once again, a Great Britain player has the ball and finds themself surrounded by three Argentine defenders who win the free hit.

So far, this half has seen a huge improvement in effort by Great Britain but they just can't seem to get any reward for all their hard work.

Argentina finally have some respite and have driven the ball into the Great Britain 23m. Solid defending by Great Britain forces Argentina to bring the ball back out to the midfield and after a short exchange of tackles and some misjudged passes by both sides, Great Britain are once again on the attack, Danson has made her way into the Argentine D but the shot is weak, right at the goalkeeper and she takes her time and just kicks it clear to the sideline.

Argentina come away with the ball down their left but it has been put out for a long corner. After some good defending from Great Britain, they win a sideline hit and can once again drive down to the Argentine end of the pitch. Argentina are once again tackling aggressively and eventually win the ball back. Back chat from the Great Britain forwards sees the umpire move the free hit up 10 metres. Great Britain in danger of losing their composure again.

There are just 19 minutes left in this game and both teams have put in a huge amount of running so far and it will soon begin to tell on player fitness. Great Britain have another opportunity in the Argentine D but the attacker is too slow getting the shot off and the defender has time to just steal the ball off of their stick.

Argentina mount a rare attack in this half and it was Walsh, again, doing the hard work at the back to make the tackle and bring the ball forward. Argentina have lost a player to a green card and Great Britain need to take advantage of the power play. They can't. Argentina just stand there, calm, unruffled and refused to be pressured into a mistake.

This is where Argentina's recent experiences in major competitions is paying off. They know they have a comfortable lead and that it is up to Great Britain to do all the work. All they need to do is stand strong and not make any silly mistakes.

A real chance for Great Britain saw the ball fall to Richardsen. She has all the time in the world to get off a shot but snatches at it and top edges the ball. That's the best chance Great Britain has created and it has been wasted. With less than 15 minutes left on the clock, that could be a game changer.

If Great Britain are to get anything out of this game it has to come from Cullen, Danson and Richardson. At the back, Walsh is giving it everything she can while Storry has had nothing to do so far in this half.

Great Britain are now beginning to lose the battle for the 50/50 balls in the centre but the umpires intervene and Argentina have Aymar sent off on a green card. Another two minutes for Great Britain to try and create chances. Argentine defenders put in some fantastic tackles, forcing their opponents to once again go down a blind alley. Any Great Britain player on the ball is finding it increasingly hard to see their team mates.

Argentina bring the ball away and Aymar is now back on the pitch. With seven minutes to go, Argentina are down the Great Britain end of the pitch. Great Britain desperately need to get the ball downt the other end of the pitch and get shots on goal. They've had plenty of possession but not in the D where it counts.

Great Britain win another free hit outside the Argentine D, the ball is fired across and it's tipped into the net by who else but Danson. The score is 2-1 and there is still just enough time for Great Britain to salvage something here.

The goal has woken the crowd up and they are getting behind the home side. Argentina are trying to slow the game down and eventually get a warning off of the umpires about wasting time. Great Britain are mounting more desperate attacks on the Argentine goal but it just isn't happening. A quick break by Argentina and there is a threat to the Great Britain goal but Storry is out and down very quickly to snuff it out.

The hooter goes and Argentina have won this hard fought match 2-1. They were unquestionably the better side on the night although Great Britain have played themselves to a virtual standstill.

All over the pitch, there are Great Britain players on their knees and in tears. On another day, they might have made more of their chances but now they have to pick themselves up and get ready for the bronze medal match against New Zealand in two days time.

For Argentina. this was a competent performance and they will be looking forward to what promises to be a cracking match against Netherlands for the gold medal

Olympic Hockey 2012 - Men's Group A round-up

With Australia and Great Britain now qualified from this group, it's time to look back on how the group matches went. You can find the Group B round-up here.


Group A
At first glance, this was never going to be a group where Australia would have expected to fail. For Great Britain, however, it was less clear. They haven't made an Olympic final since 1988 and there was massive pressure from the crowd and the hockey community to fix this at their home Olympics. Great Britains know Spain are never an easy team to beat and Pakistan came here as an unknown quantity. In the end, the two top ranked teams have gone through to the next stage so how did everyone do.

Australia opened their campaign with a 6-0 thrashing of South Africa. This game wasn't as completely one-sided as the score suggests but Australia were at their imperious best and looking to send a message to everyone in the group. In case that message went unheaded, it was followed by a 5-0 win over Spain. This one was not quite as fluid as the game against South Africe but it was clinical and controlled.

Then it all stalled. Argentina came out, determined not to be overawed and got a 2-2 draw. Australia looked a little flat during this game and seemed unprepared for the way Argentina fought for each ball. It got even worse in the match against Great Britiain. Australia were 3-0 up and looking like they were going to cruise into the semi-finals. What they didn't count on was Great Britain fighting back and being prepared to throw everything they had at Australia in order to get a 3-3 draw. At the end of that game, it could have easily been 4-3 to either side.

In the final game of the group, knowing that a win or a draw would be good enough for the semi-finals, Australia came up against Pakistan. This was not a make-weight match as a loss to Pakistan would have put them through to the semi-finals. Australia were in no mood to take chances. They ripped into a Pakistan side that looked like they were content to sit back and try and win on the break. Sadly, as the game progressed, Pakistan ceased competing and Australia strolled to a 7-0 win and a place in the semi-finals against Germany.

Unlike Australia, Great Britain made hard work of their qualification for the the semi-finals. A 4-1 win over Argentina was a great start but a stuttering 2-2 draw with South Africa left Great Britain with a lot of work to do.

In their next match against the misfiring Pakistan, Great Britain got their campaign back on track with a 4-1 win. The key to this victory was the speed of the Great Britain breaks and the continued pressure they placed on Pakistan who wilted as the game went on.

The draw against South Africa put a lot of pressure on Great Britain ahead of the game against Australia. The game started slowly for Great Britain and Australia were 3-0 ahead midway through the second half. But Jason Lee has built this side to be resilient and it was clear that they were determined not to go out with a wimper. Instead of accepting defeat, they tore into Australia and pulled the match back to 3-3 and in the last minutes, either side could have taken it 4-3.

With Pakistan hot on their heels, Great Britain knew the last match, against Spain, would be tough. It was not only tough but very nervy, although much of the pressure on Great Britain was self inflicted. Earlier in the day Great Britain had seen Pakistan beaten by Australia and knew that a win or draw here would be enough to send them through to face Netherlands. In the end, it was a 1-1 draw and that was enough, much to the relief of the Great Britain supporters and their coaching staff.

Only in the last round of matches did Spain get themselves into third position in this group but will be rueing their failure to beat Great Britain and the points they dropped elsewhere. It started badly for them with the broken arm to Santiago Freixa, although he seemed to shrug it off and carry on playing. That first match against Pakistan was tough for both sides but neither side took their chances to win it.

Against Australia, Spain was outclassed and never looked like getting anything. Although Spain won their next match 3-2 against South Africa, they really didn't look the fluid passing team we've seen over the last decade and in some respects, were lucky not to drop points. The match against Argentina was also difficult even though it was a 3-1 win and at this point Spain were still in with a chance to go to the semi-finals.

Sadly, they were unable to overcome a very nervy Great Britain and make it to the semi-finals. They did leap frog Pakistan in the table but only due to the rout handed to Pakistan by Australia.

Pakistan came here with high hopes and left under a cloud. An opening game against Spain resulted in a 1-1 draw and a good opportunity for the team to get to the speed of the pitch and competition. In beating Argentina 2-0 in the next match, Pakistan were beginning to look the real deal and a serious threat to Great Britain and Australia.

Against Great Britain, however, Pakistan were exposed by fast breaks and contined pressure in the 23m area. Great Britain pressured Pakistan and ran out comfortable winners 4-1. At this point, Pakistan could have been forgiven for settling for third in the group but they didn't. They bounced back with an unconvincing 5-4 win over South Africa which kept them in contention for a semi-final berth after Great Britain fought to a 3-3 draw with Australia.

The final group match game Pakistan hope that they could pull off a shock but that was until the game actually started. They shipped two early goals, but despite making some forays into the Australian end of the pitch, they just couldn't get their shots away. By the end of the first half, Australia were 4-0 ahead and in the second half, as the lead was extended to 5-0, Pakistan stopped competing. By the end of the match, it was a very sorry looking Pakistan who found themselves on the end of a 7-0 rout by a very dominant Australia.

Nobody really expected much of Argentina and South Africa, bar the chance of the odd upset against the more established sides. Sadly for Argentina it started badly with a 4-1 loss to Great Britain followed by a 2-0 loss to Pakistan. They then almost pulled off the shock all the Great Britain supporters were hoping for against Australia but eventually had to settle for a 2-2 draw.

Against Spain they played well but the Spanish class told out and they lost 3-1. All they had left was pride to play for against South Africa and in a match that went from end to end, it all came down to who could actually score. Argentina won this 6-3 although it was only due to some strange goalkeeping by South Africa that made it look easy at the end.

South Africa has come a long way in the last decade. Look around London and other large European cities and you will see players from South Africa in many of the large clubs. In this tournament, however, they were sadly outclassed. The highlight of their competition was a 2-2 draw with Great Britain as they looked to inflict a shock defeat but they just couldn't find a way through for the win.


Semi-finals and beyond
With Australia and Great Britain now heading off to face Germany and Netherlands respectively we have the top four ranked teams in the world in the Olympic finals. In any sport, it is generally rare for the ranking system to work so well and there were scares for Great Britain and Germany as the tournament progressed.


Great Britain look to have a very tough task in taking on Netherlands but if there is one thing that Jason Lee has instilled in his team, it's belief. While it may have been lacking in a nervy last group game against Spain, this is winner takes all hockey with a home crowd. The expectation will be palpable around the stadium and Great Britain need to draw on that energy in the same way other gold medalists, such as Jessica Ennis, have already done.

Australia have no easy task in facing Germany although Germany have misfired so far this tournament. Both sides know what it is like to get to semi-finals in the major competitions and to lift trophies. This is a match that will go all the way to the final whistle. If Australia show the weakness they showed against Great Britain, throwing away a three goal lead, Germany will make them pay dearly.

Whoever wins the semi-finals, we can count on the final four games to deliver fast, skillful and exciting hockey as befits this Olympic tournament.

Olympic Hockey - Ladies Group A round-up

With the group stage now over and the battle for the medals about to start, it's time to take a look back on the two groups in the Ladies competition and see how things have turned out. You can find Group B here.

Group A
On paper, this always looked the easiest group to qualify from with Netherlands and Great Britain the pre tournament favourites to get through to the semi-finals. As it turned out, however, it wasn't quite as easy as it might have been.

In the last major tournament before this Olympics, the Argentina FIH Champions Trophy, England had finished runners-up to hosts Argentina. They were in the same group as Netherlands, China and Japan and had drawn with Netherlands in the group stages. England are ranked fourth in the world and while they compete under the Great Britain banner in the Olympics, this has made little difference to selection.

Despite being held to a draw by England in Argentina and finishing third in the Champions Trophy, Netherlands are still ranked number 1 in the world. They would have come into this group expecting to emerge victorious. Drawing on their experience in Argentina, Great Britain would still have hoped to beat Netherlands in order to get, hopefully, an easier draw in the semi-finals, but at this level, there is no such thing as an easy game in the latter stages of a tournament.

As it turned out, Netherlands went through the group without a single dropped point. Starting with a 3-0 victory in their first game against Belgium, the Netherlands proceeded to do just enough in their other games to win and collect the points. None of their games seemed particularly easy and apart from that first game the winning margin was never more than a single goal and they failed to keep a clean sheet.

Unlike previous great Netherlands sides, this one seems to lack a charismatic leader and go-to player. Too often they broke down in the D when through on goal and their conversion rate for penalty corners was awful. Defensively, when under real pressure, they were able to scramble the ball away but the fact that they failed to record just a single convincing win suggests that they lack confidence.

Great Britain, by comparison, made qualification hard for themselves. They initially started very strongly against Japan with a 4-0 win but key injuries, not least to the talismanic Kate Walsh (broken jaw), cause significant concern. The impact of Walsh on the team should not be underestimated. Despite having surgery to insert a metal plate, Walsh was back in the tournament a few days later and leading from the front.

Further wins against Korea 5-3 and Belgium 3-0 meant that with two games left, GB were leading the table and barring any disaster, were on course for a semi-final. That disaster, however, soon appeared. In a lacklustre game, GB went down 2-1 against China, throwing the whole semi-final into question. Despite this, they still went into their last game against Netherlands, knowing that a win would leave them topping the group on goal difference. It was not to be but even with a 2-1 loss, GB still managed to qualify for the semi-finals.

But what about the other four nations in this group - China, Korea, Japan and Belgium?

China are not a hockey nation anyone should take lightly. They finished bottom of the last FIH Champions Trophy in Argentia but are ranked fifth in the world based on ability. They comprehensively beat Korea 4-0 and beat GB 2-1 but these were the highlights of their campaign.

A scoreless draw with Belgium and 1-0 losses to both Japan and Netherlands, meant that eventually, they just were not good enough to challenge for a semi-final place. While this tournament may not have turned out as China wanted, they are improving steadily and it is only a matter of time before they find themselves in the semi-finals of a major event at the expense of one or more of the big nations ranked above them.

Korea are ranked eight in the world and got to these Olympics after some hard work and having done well over the last decade. Wins against Belgium 3-1 and Japan 1-0 meant that Korea finshed in a very credible fourth place in Group A. It could, however, have been much better. In their game against Netherlands, they might have lost 3-2 but it could so easily have been a draw or even a win and they were the only team to score 3 goals against GB.

Japan, while ninth in the world, lack the power and skill to qualify for the semi-finals of a major tournament like this. They are a very good side to watch and move the ball quickly and efficiently but to be a top ranked competitor, you also need to score goals. Japan managed just four goals in five games although two of those came against the Netherlands in a game that many thought they might have drawn.

Belgium, sadly, looked completely out of their class in these Olympics and that was a surprise. Before the tournament, I expected them to be able to finish fourth in this group, not last. They have some great club sides and some of their players regularly compete with and against, the best ladies players in Europe. Where they go from here is difficult to say. The skills are there but the fitness levels, tactical awareness and ability of the coaching staff to extract the right performances are lacking.


Semi-finals and beyond
Netherlands will play New Zealand and Great Britain will play Argentina in the semi-finals. Both teams have great chances of progressing and making the final although the Netherlands will be more confident than Great Britain.

That said, Netherlands will need to play with a higher energy level and be much more clinical around the goal than they have been so far in this competition. If they fail to take all the chances that come their way, New Zealand have the players and ability to beat them and cause yet another major upset at these Olympics.

GB has a much tought task. It needs to overcome a team that is capable of winning major tournaments, is ranked second in the world and is the reigning Champions Trophy holders. If Walsh and Cullen are on fire for GB, then they have every chance of winning that match and making the final. What they cannot afford to do, is play like they did against China. That game has to be set aside as a complete aberation and I have no doubt that the GB management will have done their bit to ensure no repeat of that lacklustre performance.