Raipur, Nov 28 (IANS) Australia beat Belgium 1-0, while Britain overpowered Canada 3-1 in the Group A matches of the Hero Hockey World League (HWL) Final at the Sardar Vallabh Bhai Patel International Stadium here on Saturday.
A solitary goal from veteran Jamie Dwyer was enough for the reigning world champions Australia to defeat Belgium. The 36-year-old five-time FIH Player of the Year fired home from a tight angle in the 22nd minute to give the Aussies victory.
Although Australia also had two strikes overturned, the Belgians gave an excellent showing of themselves and could easily have taken something from the game if they had made the most of their chances.
Meanwhile Simon Mantell scored twice as Britain defeated Canada 3-1 in their tournament opener.
Mantell needed just two minutes to open his account with a tap-in before Mark Pearson restored parity for Canada with a speculative cross from the right that found the bottom left corner.
Second quarter goals from Mantell and Alastair Brogdon gave Britain a 3-1 advantage at half-time, a lead that the dominant Europeans would never relinquish.
