The Hockeyroos have marched into the knockout phase of the Tokyo Olympics, beating Argentina 2-0 to make it five wins from five pool games.
Australia, who emerged from a scathing external review with a new coach in Katrina Powell just four months ago, had already equalled their best start to a Games with Thursday’s victory over New Zealand.
Powell’s side were all but assured of top spot in Pool B at the outset of Saturday’s clash, needing only to avoid a rout of near-impossible proportions.
They failed to score in the opening three quarters against Argentina then secured the win to sign off from the group stage in confidence-boosting fashion.
Savannah Fitzpatrick’s pressure broke the deadlock in the 49th minute.
Fitzpatrick pounced on the ball after helping create a defensive error then hammered home her first goal of the tournament.
Fitzpatrick’s pass then created a tap-in goal for Emily Chalker, among the Australians gunning for redemption after being part of the squad that suffered a quarter-final loss at Rio 2016, with 95 seconds remaining on the clock.
The Hockeyroos will learn their opponents for Tuesday’s quarter-final later on Saturday, but crucially are set to avoid heavyweights Germany and the Netherlands.
Powell, part of the Hockeyroos’ teams that won Olympic gold in 1996 and 2000, was appointed coach in March after Paul Gaudoin’s resignation.
Former high-performance director Toni Cumpston also resigned amid the fallout of an external review that made 29 recommendations in response to a “dysfunctional” culture.
The review was sparked by claims of body-shaming, bullying and other issues.
AAP
