3 minute read

A Blake Govers brace has earned the Kookaburras a two-nil win over world No.1 Belgium in the FIH Pro League in Antwerp.

The Kookaburras battled through awful weather and secured a 2-0 win over world number one Belgium in their FIH Pro League meeting in Antwerp.

A double for Blake Govers proved enough to see off the hosts and cement a first-place finish with one round to spare.

Australia got off to an attacking start and a series of early penalty corners put Belgium on the defensive.

Some athletic saves from Vincent Vanasch denied Blake Govers twice from the penalty corner, while Andrew Charter made an incredible save at the other end to prevent an almost certain Belgian goal.

The attacking momentum finally paid off for Australia with some brilliant build up play allowing Govers to open the scoring on 19 minutes.

Rain had threatened all night and finally made an appearance in the final quarter, leading to a torrential downpour and a 15-minute delay.

After the restart, Belgium unsuccessfully challenged for a penalty corner, and on the counter-attack it was Govers who scored again after the home side removed their goalkeeper.

The win confirms a top spot finish for the Kookaburras, currently four points clear of Belgium, ahead of their final home-and-away match against the Netherlands on Saturday.