Kookaburras goalkeeper Andrew Charter has starred in a tense men’s hockey Olympic quarter-final over the Netherlands.
Taken to shootouts after scores were locked 2-2 at fulltime in sauna-like conditions in Tokyo, Charter saved the first three Dutch attempts and the Kookaburras didn’t miss.
Blake Govers, Flynn Ogilvie and then Tim Brand all held their nerve in their one-on-one contests to put Australia within one win of the gold medal game.
The victory was extra sweet given they were dumped from the same stage by the Dutch 4-0 in Rio five years ago.
Chasing a second men’s hockey gold medal, the world No.1 side had dominated their group stage with four wins and a draw.
They looked on track after Tom Wickham finished a clever Brand cross for the opening goal, the Kookaburras dominating 64 per cent of possession in the first half.
But the Dutch hit another gear in the third quarter, rewarded when Mink van der Weerden’s drag flick snuck through Charter’s stoic defence.
Wickham had two goals just minutes later but a yellow card to Dylan Martin suddenly changed the complexion.
Jeroen Hertzberger made no mistake with his penalty stroke after a shot had hit a Kookaburras’ body on the line.
Teams played out a tense final 10 minutes before Charter, who had made a brilliant stick save in the opening minutes, came to the fore.
Australia will play Germany in a Tuesday semi-final, after they easily beat defending Olympic champions Argentina 3-1 in the first quarter-final.
AAP
