The Australians managed to control the game with their long passes, even as they snuffed out the Germans’ chances of piercing through with shorter ones.
It was not a victory lap, but one that was cheered by spectators more than any other in the tournament. The Germans, enjoying the backing of the majority of the fans, went around with a banner thanking them for their support.
Germany had played adroitly, but failed to capture a third consecutive World Cup title, finally falling to the same opposition they had vanquished the previous two times. They had been inconsolable just a little earlier, their goalkeeper Tim Jessulat actually breaking down in tears inside the very ‘D’ that he had manned so skillfully through the tournament.
On the other hand, the Australians were rapturous after finally cracking the code for their second World Cup title. They pumped their fists, huddled around and sang some lines in celebration of their 2-1 victory which gave Ric Charlesworth the distinction of winning as both player (1986) and coach.
A cracker of a contest hung in the balance till the end, and one could not have expected much more. Quite fittingly, Luke Doerner’s penalty-corner conversion in the 59th minute, that set the tournament’s highest tally of eight goals, decided the fate.
But the Germans were not happy with the referral that allowed Doerner to take that penalty-corner. “As far as we are concerned, he was not on the ground then, and was not eligible to take the short corner. The (short) corners actually proved decisive as we missed a few of those,” said German captain Maximillian Muller.
Jan-Marco Montag’s short corner 11 minutes earlier had restored parity for the Germans, setting the stage for a cracker of a contest that saw a number of forays from either side. In the end, it was the energy and speed of the Aussies that saw them through, the ability to fall back in defence neutralising Germany’s much vaunted defence.
The Australians managed to control the game with their long passes, even as they snuffed out the Germans’ chances of piercing through with shorter ones. Prolific striker Florian Fuchs failed to make an impression when it mattered, while Muller and Martin Haner had their hands full at the back. “Our solid defence today did the trick for us. Our coach too played a big role in helping us carve out this win,” said Aussie skipper Jamie Dwyer.
The first half saw Australia take charge with a strike from Edward Ockenden. They kept pressure on Germany through the session with some fine ball distribution from Mark Knowles, Kiel Brown and Graeme Begbie, who could be seen close to the centre during all attacks. “It has taken us 15 months to prepare this team.
The Germans have improved since we beat them in the Champions Trophy, so it is a creditable victory for us. I remember that we had won the World Cup by the same margin 24 years ago,” said Charlesworth, who was not in the dugout on Saturday but preferred to watch the match from the stands.
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