Double Dutch shoot-out glory

The delighted Dutch celebrate after winning gold

The Netherlands 3-3 South Korea (5-4 on penalties)

The Netherlands retained the Olympic men's hockey title after beating South Korea 5-4 in a penalty shoot-out, ending a 40-year-old jinx on defending champions.

The tie-breaker was enforced when both teams were locked 3-3 after regulation time and failed to break the deadlock in 15 minutes of extra-time.

Song Seung Tae, South Korea's most prolific scorer, pushed the third stroke wide to help the Dutch win a shoot-out for the second match in a row.

They had also won the tie-breaker against hosts Australia on Thursday to advance to the final.

Back-to-back

The Dutch became the first team to win back-to-back Olympic titles after India's streak of six golds ended at the 1960 Games in Rome.

Bram Lomans, Piet-Hein Geeris, Wouter van Pelt and Marten Ekelboom scored in the tie-breaker for the Dutch, before captain Stephan Veen followed his hat-trick in the match with the winning stroke.

Jeon Jong-Ha, Yeo Woon-Kon, Kim Kyung-Seok and Kang Keon-Wook converted their shots for the Koreans.

South Korea's defeat in their first Olympic final came after they struck twice in the last four minutes to force the match into extra-time.

The Dutch, fired by Veen's three goals, appeared to have wrapped up the match when they led 3-1 with just six minutes remaining.

Kim Kyung-Seok, however, hit in a penalty corner in the 66th before Kang Keon-Wook scored the next minute to make it 3-3.

Early lead

The Koreans took an early lead in the ninth as Song Seung-Tae broke free from a goalmouth melee and pushed the ball home.

The Dutch, who wasted their first penalty corner, met with success with their second in the 20th when Jeon Jong-Ha, standing on the goal line, took a scoop from Bram Lomans on the chest.

German umpire Christian Siebrecht awarded the Netherlands a penalty stroke which Veen converted easily to make it 1-1.

The Dutch struck soon after the break when Veen dived to deflect in a pass from the right by Teun de Nooijer.

Another deflection by Veen secured the Dutch their third goal six minutes before the final whistle, but South Korea's dual strike in the final moments threw open the game.

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Australia 6-3 Pakistan

Troy Elder scored three goals as Australia blasted Pakistan on Saturday to retain the Olympic men's hockey bronze medal they won at Atlanta four years ago.

Elder (left) is congratulated by Jay Stacy

Veteran Stephen Davies, James Elmer and Michael Brennan also found the mark as the Kookaburras claimed three goals in each session to complete a comprehensive win.

The bronze medal will be some consolation to the hosts after their semi-final exit to the Netherlands after a penalty shoot-out.

Rousing

The play-off began on a rousing note with three goals in the first eight minutes, two of them by Australia.

Elder put the hosts ahead in the third minute by converting their first penalty corner. Atif Bashir drew level in the sixth by deflecting in a pass from the right, but Elder scored his second goal two minutes later to make it 2-1.

The Kookaburras increased the margin five minutes before half-time when Davies scored from a rebound off goalkeeper Ahmed Alam's pads.

Pakistan's penalty corner ace Sohail Abbas netted his eighth goal of the competition soon after the break to make it 3-2, but Australia hit back with three quick goals from Elmer, Elder and Brennan.

Kashif Javed pulled one back for Pakistan just before the final hooter.