BHUBANESWAR, Dec 10: World champions Australia defeated Olympic champions Argentina 2-1 in a hard-fought summit clash to defend the Hockey World League (HWL) Final crown at the Kalinga Stadium here today.
It was a fitting end to the eight-nation tournament which witnessed a keen battle between world�s best two teams.
Eventually, the experience of handling pressure in big tournaments came in handy for the three-time world champions Australia who scored through two penalty corner conversions by Jeremy Hayward (17th minute) and Blake Govers (58th) to add another crown to their glorious history.
Argentina�s lone goal came from the sticks of Agustin Bugallo in the 18th minute.
Contrary to the final result, Argentina had more shots on goal (nine against Australia�s six) than their opponents but the Kookaburras had better ball possession.
Eventually, what turned out to be the difference between the two sides in the evenly-contested encounter was penalty corner conversions. � PTI
