Bhubaneswar: Three-time champions Australia and heavyweights Argentina played out a thrilling 3-3 draw in the FIH Men's Hockey World Cup here on Monday. Hayward Jeremy opened the scoring for Australia by converting a penalty corner in the ninth minute but Argentina's Domene Tomas restored parity in the 18th minute.
Beale Daniel then produced a field goal to put Australia in the lead but Argentina was once again back in the game courtesy of Casella Maico's 32nd-minute strike. Playing catch-up all evening, Argentina took the lead for the first time when Ferreiro Martin scored in the 48th minute. They looked on course to clinch all three points on offer but Govers Blake scored in the dying minutes for Australia as the two sides split points.
In the other Pool A match, Charlet Victor converted two penalty corners to help France defeat South Africa 2-1. South Africa's lone goal came from the stick of Beauchamp Connor as he converted a penalty corner in the 15th minute. In the Pool C matches in Rourkela, three-time champions Netherlands thrashed New Zealand 4-0, while Malaysia eked out a 3-2 win over Chile.
Brinkman Thierry scored two field goals in the opening quarter while Bijen Koen and Hoedemakers Tjep added two more goals to help Netherlands inch closer to a quarterfinals spot. Earlier, in the opening match of the day, Rahim Razie, Hamsani Ashran, and Sumantri Norsyafiq scored for Malaysia, while Amoroso Juan and Rodriguez Martin registered their names on the scoring sheet for Chile. Having won both their games, the Netherlands sit pretty atop Pool C with six points. New Zealand and Malaysia are second and third respectively with Chile in fourth place. (PTI)
