Hockey World Cup 2018: Semifinal - Australia vs Netherlands - 3 talking points 

The boisterous Kookaburras' fans in the stands were brimming with confidence as "Advance Australia Fair" rang out at the Kalinga Stadium. The two-time defending champions were looking good enough to make it three in a row despite not having as consistent a run as many would have expected them to in this World Cup.

The Dutch had struck a fine balance between dribbling and passing throughout the tournament and closed the passing lines against the Indians - but decided to come out with all guns blazing against the world champions.

The Aussies began as they always do by swarming ahead in numbers and Blake Govers, Dylan Wotherspoon, Aran Zalewski, and Tom Craig took turns to make their way into the Dutch circle with Daniel Beale being the architect of the moves.

Billy Bakker decided to get the Dutch moving when he sprinted ahead, all by himself and earned a PC which van der Weeden failed to convert - but gave his side some much-needed momentum which finally led to a goal by Glenn Schuurman in the ninth minute.

Mirco Pruyser then hit the post with a deflection off a cross from Billy Bakker and Seve van Ass doubled the lead for the Dutch in the second quarter. The Aussies had numerous chances but the ball failed to fall kindly for Batch's boys, and when it did, Blaak in goal was simply unbeatable.

Tim Howard got the Aussies back into the game at the end of the third quarter but the Dutch seemed to have done enough with time running out - and with Batch's strikers unable to latch on to the crucial crosses in the striking circle.

With less than twenty seconds left on the clock, Eddie Ockenden found the equalizer in dramatic style to take the match into a shootout which was then followed by sudden death.

We take a took 3 factors that may have influenced the final outcome of the match which ended with a 2-2 (4-3) scoreline in favour of the Dutch.

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#3 Caldas keeps his word

"We are going to try and attack them as we feel they have not been attacked enough," said Max Caldas before the match - and sure enough, his chargers stormed the Australian circle with lightning-quick counterattacks which caught the world champions off guard.

Several turnovers were effected from midfield as the Dutch exerted severe pressure on the ball carriers and stole the ball almost at will. Sure enough, the Kookaburras wilted under pressure and were kept pegged back in defence for large parts of the match when in fact they would have loved to advance.

The Dutch played like they had nothing to lose and were willing to have a go to see if it worked. Throwing caution to the winds against a team like Australia was indeed a brave thing to do, and the ferocity of the attacks was something which Batch's boys had not experienced thus far in the tournament,

The ploy worked on the day, due to the sheer pace of the Dutch who managed to scamper to the other end of the pitch in seconds and were aided, in no small measure, by their custodian in goal who had a match to remember.

#2 Blaak plays an inspired game between the posts

A goalkeeper who made all the difference

The Dutch would have known for certain that the frequency of their attacks up front would leave gaps open which the Aussie strikers could then exploit.

Sure enough, the Aussies were presented with several opportunities to break forward and penetrated the Dutch circle 26 times. Yet, the only reason that the defending champions could score only twice, was that Pirmin Blaak in the Dutch goal had an incredible match, pulling off some seemingly-impossible saves that frustrated the Aussie strikers no end.

Blaak was responsible for eight saves and did not hesitate to leave his mark to narrow the angles down when required. Blake Govers had his ferocious drag-flicks covered by the imposing frame of Blaak who stood tall under the post and was virtually unbeatable on the day.

The 30-year-old from Rotterdam was rewarded with a well-deserved Player of the Match award and the Dutch will know for certain that one big reason why they - and not Australia will play the second match tonight is because of Blaak's heroics under the bar.

#1 The Aussies choose Andrew Charter - and not Tyler Lovell for the vital shootout

Why was Andrew Charter chosen to defend the shootout?

Eddie Ockenden's equalizer at the death may well have stunned a lesser side - but the Dutch refused to be undone and approached the shootouts with the same tenacity that they had displayed in sixty pulsating minutes of regulation time.

While Blaak continued in goal for the Dutch, the Australians chose Andrew Charter to defend their goal - a surprising choice indeed considering the fact that Tyler Lovell had helped his side win gold in not one - but two big finals that involved shootouts in the last couple of years.

Lovell, who had yet to concede a goal before the final, was chosen to stand between the posts in the Champions Trophy final of 2016 against the Indians which the Aussies won via a shootout.

History repeated itself as India played Australia in the final of the Champions Trophy a couple of years later - and yet again a shootout ensued after both sides failed to break the deadlock in normal time.

At Breda too, Lovell, who had not had the best of tournaments up until the final, was chosen to stop the Indians in the one-one-one shootouts and outdid his Indian counterpart Sreejesh to give Australia their fifteenth Champions Trophy gold in the last edition of the tournament.

Lovell, who seems to relish high-pressure situations was, however, not chosen to defend the shootout against the Dutch - and given his past success in this department, one wonders if the Aussie camp will rue the decision when they reflect and retrospect on the great semifinal.

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