Bhubaneswar: Defending champions Belgium will face Germany in the final of the FIH Men’s Hockey World Cup at the Kalinga Stadium here Sunday in their bid to retain the title.
Defending champions Belgium defeated Netherlands 3-2 in penalty shootout in the second semifinal at the Kalinga Stadium, here Friday. The game ended 2-2 at the end of the regular time before Vanasch made some brilliant saves during the shootout to put Belgium in the summit clash. The Dutch paid for their profligacy in front of the opposition goal as they missed a number of easy chances.
Earlier, star drag-flicker Gonzalo Peillat struck a second half hat-trick as Germany made a sensational comeback after being two goals down to beat Australia 4-3 and enter the FIH Men’s World Cup final for the fifth time.
This was Germany’s second comeback win after being 0-2 down against England as well in the quarter-final match. They scored twice in the last three minutes to equalise and then beat England in the penalty shoot-out to enter the semi-finals.
Two-time champions Germany recorded their first entry to the final after the 2010 edition in New Delhi, where they finished runners-up. They won the silver medal in 1982 as well before winning the title in 2002 and 2006.