Hockey World Cup 2018: England vs Australia - 3 Standout Players from the match
The spectators in the Kalinga Stadium played witness to another high-voltage clash at the 2018 Hockey World Cup. Defending champions Australia put up a fine spell of play in the final quarter to trounce England by a 3-0 margin and strengthen their hold on the top position of the Pool 'B' table.
The Kangaroos walked into the game with a lot of confidence as they started their World Cup campaign with a 2-1 win over Ireland while England had to aim for a win after their 2-2 tie against China.
The opening quarter's slow pace was camouflaged by a string of chances for either team in the second as Australia missed two penalty corners while England's real chance to take the lead was shut out by a Phil Roper rocket that took a bite off the post.
With both custodians enjoying a top game in front of the goalmouth, the offensive units were forced to press harder that saw the Australians convert an opening early in the fourth quarter through a scorcher from Jake Whetton.
The opening goal seemed to knock the wind out of England's sails as Blake Govers charged across from the goalmouth, unmarked, to find the back of the net with a screamer that could not be stopped by George Pinner.
To add salt to the wounds, Matthew's Swann's terrific dribbling saw him drive the ball through the center as a deflection off Ian Sloan was collected and deposited in fine fashion by Corey Weyer as Australia completed a 3-0 trouncing of their opponents.
Here are the three standout players from the riveting encounter.
#3 Blake Govers - Australia
Australia's offense was mainly comprised of a number of timely contributions from the midfielders but one man who stood out in front was Blake Govers, who consistently found gaps in the England defense to find himself in the scoring area.
With confident runs into the scoring areas, Govers not only ensured that the England defenders were forced to play a high line of defense, but his vital passing from the left flank also created a host of chances for the Aussies to score.
As a result of his top outing, Govers also found his name on the score-sheet by virtue of a fantastic run to the center of the scoring area and with a quick turn, drilled the ball low into the right bottom corner to trigger wild celebrations in the Australian camp.