Germany in hunt for hat-trick of WC titles

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NEW DELHI, Mar 10 (AP): World and Olympic champion Germany is aiming to make the World Cup final by avenging a loss to England in the title encounter of last year's European Cup, while Australia faces three-time winner the Netherlands in the other semifinal.
Germany, aiming for a third straight field hockey World Cup title, faces England, which is into its first field World Cup semifinal since losing to Australia at that stage in 1986.
Matthias Witthaus, Moritz Furste and Jan-Marco Montag are the only players from the 2006 champion team left in Germany's squad that went on to win the Olympic title at Beijing in 2008.
But once again, Germany has proved that it can produce a young team capable of carrying on the legacy of past World Cup victories.
"I never had any preference about our semifinal opponent," said German coach Markaus Weise, whose pre-Cup expectation was of reaching the final.
England's resurgence started at the European Cup, where it beat Netherlands en route to the final, where it beat Germany 5-3.
Despite being hit by a series of injuries just ahead of the tournament, England scored four straight wins in the ongoing World Cup to secure entry into the semifinals.
England's impressive show here began with a stunning 3-2 victory over Australia, which was considered among the title favorites here after winning the Champions Trophy in a resounding manner three months ago.
During the World Cup, England has lost its main defender Richard Mantell through injury.
Germany's strongest challenger in recent years has been Australia, which clinched its first Olympic Games gold medal at Athens in 2004.