Hockey World Cup 2018, Australia vs Ireland: 3 standout players from the match

Action from the Australia v Ireland match at the Men's Hockey World Cup 2018 on Friday
Action from the Australia v Ireland match at the Men's Hockey World Cup 2018 on Friday

#2) Tyler Lovell

Tyler Lovell: The Man Friday for Team Australia
Tyler Lovell: The Man Friday for Team Australia

Australia's Man Friday in Champions Trophy finals of both 2016 and 2018, star goalkeeper Tyler Lovell was initially compelled to sit on the bench for the first half, with the much more experienced Andrew Charter taking his place on the field.

However, the decision backfired for the Kookaburras, who saw Ireland equalizing the score within minutes of Blake Govers having flicked in the opening goal for the Aussies. This forced the team management to replace Charter with Tyler Lovell, who had twice denied a historic chance to a resurgent India to claim the FIH Champions Trophy, in 2016 and 2018.

If Ireland failed to milk on the opportunity to come out with a historic draw or even a win against the defending champions, it was solely due to the heroics of this goalkeeper, who stood solid as a rock against all odds. It was Tyler who denied Ireland a second chance to strike back, even as Tim Brand scored the winning goal for Kookaburras

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