Olympics, 2024: Govers goal gives Kookaburras a 1-0 win against Argentina in hockey opener

Blake Govers’ second quarter thunderbolt and goalkeeper Andrew Charter’s batch of clutch saves allowed the Kookaburras to eke out a 1-0 victory over dour Argentina. Read the report and check out the player ratings.

Blake Govers could only grin sheepishly as he admitted the drag flick from his dreams had been aided by a deflection in the Kookaburras 1-0 Paris opener.

As usual the forwards gain the glory _ and sometimes a handy slice of luck _ yet in Australia’s narrow victory over Argentina the more compelling story was at the other end of the pitch.

Govers’ penalty corner into the side-netting of the Argentina goal was the perfect way to start a challenging Olympic journey as the star striker was nearly hit by a high ball, appealed the decision, then laced the drag flick home.

But it was 37-year-old goalkeeper Andrew Charter who repelled countless Argentinian chances including a nerve-jangling penalty corner with 45 seconds remaining in the opening day clash.

For all of his talent and experience with nearly 300 international caps the deep-thinking 37-year old mechanical engineer was nearly overlooked for the Paris squad given back-up Johan Durst’s excellent recent form.

Thomas Craig controls the ball during the Kookaburras’ win against Argentina. Picture: AFP

Even despite his heroics in the 2021 Tokyo Olympics penalty shootout against the Netherlands.

As he parried that last-minute Argentinian flick then saw his defensive teammates clear the ball off the line it was a victory for coach Colin Bland’s faith in his world-class goalkeeping talent.

Tokyo silver medallists Australia will now take on an Irish side that pushed gold medallists Belgium in their first contest in a tournament stacked with contenders.

But on a day when Govers’ goal was from a very rare chance, Batch walked away content with the result if not the execution.

“It is a special tournament. This is Andrew’s third Olympics and we saw that experience he showed and the composure” he said.

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“You need that from a goalkeeper. Full marks to him not just at the end, but right through the tournament. Goalkeepers have to keep performing, but the age of goalkeepers who played really well in Tokyo was 33 to 36,” he said.

“We didn’t create a lot of chances. So our all-around defensive game was pretty good. But we want to improve our ball movement and our options up front. They are a tricky side to play against but we got that corner on half time which was a bit lucky.”

The moment the match changed: Blake Govers and Thomas Craig appeal to the match umpire. Seconds later, Govers scored the decisive goal. Picture: Getty Images

Australia lost dangerous forward Jake Whetton with a hamstring injury pre-game, with Nathan Ephraums his official replacement at least until the fourth pool game.

Whetton’s absence was another reason why Govers needed to keep up his hot streak after scoring in all six matches in the Birmingham Commonwealth Games triumph.

He admitted post-match he had some help from his opponents after the ball sailed past goalkeeper Tomas Santiago and defender Lucas Martinez from a glorious Australian set piece.

“We had prepared well and that just felt like a training run out there on that corner. It was nice. I heard a nick (a deflection) on the way through so it was close to hitting stick or foot and then it went in. It’s a game of inches,” he said.

PARIS, FRANCE - JULY 27: Team Australia huddle following victory in the Men's Pool B match between Australia and Argentina on day one of the Olympic Games Paris 2024 at Stade Yves Du Manoir on July 27, 2024 in Paris, France. (Photo by Alex Pantling/Getty Images)

“At the Olympics everything and everyone tightens up so you have to be millimetre perfect.

“It’s so tight. It’s the Olympics. Three points is three points so it would be nice to get a couple more in there but if we won 1-0 for the rest of the tournament we would be happy.”