So, it is going to be Argentina versus Netherlands in the finals of 2016 version of Hockey Champions Trophy Women which is scheduled on Sunday 26.
In, what could evolve on the day four of the competition, out of the six teams competing, the first two matches decided about the final- leaving the third match of the day between GBR and USA without any vibes.
The Olympic Champion Netherlands, in their match against Hockeyroos, came out winner with 2-1 margin while the Argentine team snubbed Black Sticks 4-2 at the event being played at the Lee Valley Hockey and Tennis Centre Olympic legacy facility on the Olympic Day.
With these wins and finals decided, the two teams will now play twice against each other, much like the men’s version where Australia and India played twice against each other in the last two matches- though this time, there will be no impact of the results on the final two. A wonderful chance to both the teams to check their competition before a final go at the title.
Their final pool match is dated on Saturday, which means that the fans in London will be treated to not one but two potentially thrilling encounters between the top ranked teams in world hockey.
It is really difficult to predict the winners of the title and that is an interesting aspect related to the two teams, another interesting fact being their head to head record against each other where out of 21 matches played between the two teams, Argentina are just one step behind with 8 wins while Netherlands have 9, they have 4 tied matches between them, one goal difference overall with Netherlands one step higher with 37 goals. The only major difference is between the cards- while Argentina have got 22 cards, Netherlands have 16.
So close has been their competition that, in the last five matches, they both have won twice with one tied match. It will be interesting to see the results of the upcoming two encounters between the two team, but one thing is sure- thrill packed matches, these will be, and a perfect gourmet for the Hockey lovers.