Auckland: Defending champion Australia and Spain will meet in the final of Champions Trophy on Sunday.
Spain dealt a fatal blow to New Zealand’s chances of reaching the Champions Trophy final, beating the Netherlands 3-1 at North Harbour Hockey Stadium.
The result rendered meaningless the Black Sticks’ match against Australia tonight, as Spain joined Australia on six points, a total New Zealand cannot overhaul.
Australia, who came from behind to beat Spain 3-2 in their first match in the tournament, will be shooting for an unprecedented fourth straight Champions Trophy title.
The Black Sticks will play off against the Dutch for the bronze medal, a rematch of the dramatic 3-3 draw between the sides in pool play.
In earlier results, Germany thumped Pakistan 5-0 and Great Britain edged Korea 4-3. Germany will take on the British tomorrow in the play-off for fifth, while Pakistan play Korea for seventh place.
