27 August 2004	Friday	10 Rajab 1425

ATHENS, Aug 26: The Netherlands and Australia flew through to the Olympic men's hockey finals on Wednesday, setting up the chance for the Dutch to win a third gold in a row and for the Aussies to win their first ever title.

The Dutch fought hard against Germany to take their semifinal 3-2 while the Australians found the top of their game to blast past a young Spanish side 6-3. The Australians have three silvers and three bronzes on the shelf but are under huge media pressure to shed the image of "always the bridesmaid, never the bride" and win gold.

They said they were facing the issue head on and not letting the tension get to them. Troy Elder put the Aussies on the map with a short corner in the third minute and while Eduardo Tubau pulled Spain back, the Aussies' fighting attitude showed the match was already won.

A flurry of goals in the second half including a clever corner passed around and shot from the goal post staked them out as the team to beat the Netherlands. If the Dutch win Friday's final, it will be three in a row - the longest series since India won six golds running between 1928 and 1956, spanning the wartime break. Again, the team is trying to avoid the pressure of history. -Reuters