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

#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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