Hockey World League: Australia Sneaks Past Belgium, 1-0 In Semi-Final

Australia defeated Belgium in stunning fashion to win the World Hockey League semi-final match-up in Antwerp. Kookaburras’ defender Chris Ciriello netted the lone goal of Sunday’s final to shock the tournament hosts in a remarkable 1-0 win.

Ciriello’s last-gasp score ended nearly 60 minutes of deadlock and stole Belgium’s chance to force the game into shoot-out. The 29-year-old flicked a low and hard shot with two seconds remaining to dramatically end the gritty match against Belgium. Ciriello plays for the Victorian Vikings in the Australian Hockey League and made his senior national team debut in January 2008.

"We didn't plan to bring it down to the wire like that. But it's always good to win. I felt that our second-half performance was pretty tops - the pressure that we had on them. Our defence was really good. We created a lot more of the opportunities but unfortunately didn't put the ball in the net,” Kookaburra coach Graham Reid said as per Yahoo News.

The Kookaburras qualified for the 2016 Rio Olympics last week after India progressed to the final and the win adds to Australia’s long list of achievements in field hockey while sustaining global dominance as they work to get the ultimate goal of winning their first Olympic gold medal in 12 years. The team will have the chance to meet Belgium again in the World League Finals tournament at the end of the year in India, which will also include teams from Germany, Netherlands, Great Britain, Argentina, Canada and the host nation.

Blake Govers finished as the tournament's top scorer with seven points and was named best junior player after only making his senior international debut in May. Govers, who turns 19 on Monday, is the youngest player in Kookaburras’ lineup.

"He's had a good start to his career. He's the sort of guy who listens, he's very coachable. And, of course, he'll come away from this tournament with lots of good memories and lots to learn,” Reid said.