London 2012

Final bound: Magic Moritz Furste - hockeyimages.co.ukLONDON, August 9 - Germany disassembled tournament favourites Australia 4-2 to claim a place in the 2012 Olympic Games final.

The number-one ranked Kookaburras had no answer to Germany's precision passing game and ability to beat the press with aerials and confidence on the ball.

There were also echoes of Beijing where Australia lost a 2-0 lead to Spain at the same stage of the tournament.

In London, Germany so dominated the final stages of the game there was even time for a comic ending with Moritz Furste dribbling near the corner flag with one hand while rallying the Riverbank Arena crowd the other.

LONDON, August 9 - Julie Ashton-Lucy and Lisa Roach will umpire Friday's women's hockey final between Netherlands and Argentina.

See attached for full appointment list.

Corner country: Penalty corners will be key when Great Britain play the Netherlands tonight. GB's Ashley Jackson (centre) has four PC goals in the tournament, Netherlands Mink van der Weerden has five - hockeyimages.co.ukLONDON, 8 August - Australia and Netherlands are the favourites to provide a repeat of the Athens 2004 gold medal match by winning their respective semifinals at the Riverbank Arena on Thursday, but world champions Germany and home hope Great Britain, in their first Olympic semifinal for 24 years, hope to upset the odds.

Overall tournament conversion rates at the end of the pool stage are: 17% for field goal attempts, 27% for penalty corner attempts. 

End of a dream: Alex Danson (r) and Ashleigh Ball at the end of Great Britain's semi-final loss to Argentina - hockeyimages.co.ukLONDON, August 8 – Great Britain blew a golden opportunity as poor finishing costs them a place in the Olympic games hockey final.

After taking a 2-0 first-half lead, Argentina tackled adeptly and channelled countless GB attacks into the Sargasso Sea of the cornerflags where the home side were becalmed, never to return.

For more images see the gallery.

A brief moment of hope came when Alex Danson turned in a cross   from Helen Richardson on the right to make to 2-1 with five minutes to go. But world champions las Leonas held their nerve and set up an el clasico final against the Netherlands.

LONDON, August 8 - The first classification match of London 2012 saw Natascha Keller sign off her Olympic career with a win as Germany defeated Korea, while Japan eased ahead of South Africa courtesy of a golden goal.

Classification 9/10 - Japan v South Africa

An extra-time golden goal from Ai Murukami handed Japan a 2-1 win over South Africa, and ensured they equalled their ninth-place finish at Beijing 2008. 

Shootout: The Dutch congratulate Ellen Hoog for her winning shootout goal - hockeyimages.co.ukLONDON, August 8 - Defending champions the Netherlands had to come back twice before and win a shootout a to claim an Olympic Games final place at the  expense of New Zealand.

After a 2-2 draw in normal time and a goal-less 15 minutes of golden goal extra time, the Olympic Games had a first airing for the start-from-the-25, 8-seconds-to-score shootout format. The Dutch held their nerve with Ellen Hoog netting the decisive goal.

The match started with an enterprising an fast New Zealand side took the lead through a Kayla Sharland slapped corner after seven minutes. The Dutch sqandered several first half chances through poor shooting but eventually levelled it with Maartje Paumen's first PC of the tournament. The Dutch captain produced a strong flicked shot on a one-two to the right variation.

LONDON,  August 8 - The women's hockey semi-finals of the 2012 Olympic Games have thrown up matches between serial semi-finalists and teams inexperienced in the medal stages of the Games.

Newcomers New Zealand will be hoping to overturn reigning champions Netherlands at 3.30pm while home side Great Britain face world champions and Beijing bronze medallists Argentina at 8pm.

Overall tournament conversion rates at the end of the pool stage are: 13% for field goal attempts, 21% for penalty corner attempts. Here are some key facts for today's big games.

Corner king: Richard Smith and Ashley Jackson (right) celebrate Jackson's 32nd minute goal- hockeyimages.co.ukLONDON, August 7 - Great Britain progressed the the semi-final stage of the London 2012 Olympic Games with a 1-1 , but the game ended with two late decisions that left Spain's coach fuming.

In the final minute, Spain claimed two penalty corners but umpire John Wright consulted the disengaged umpire Simon Taylor and neither was awarded. GB players surrounded Wright in both cases, but they had already used their video referral.

Spain coach Dani Martin said: "It cannot happen that an international official changes his decision twice just because he is surrounded by opposition players.