Australia opens field hockey defense with win

BEIJING (AP) Des Abbott scored three goals to help defending Olympic champion Australia defeat Canada 6-1 on Monday on the opening day of pool play for men's field hockey.

The Australians, ranked No. 1 in the world, led 3-0 at halftime.

In the opening match of the day, China scored first, but No. 2 Germany came back to win 4-1.

Na Yubo scored in the seventh minute for China, but the Germans equalized 14 minutes later when Christopher Zeller scored after a penalty corner to make it 1-1 at halftime.

Florian Keller scored twice in an eight-minute stretch early in the second half, then Carlos Nevado added a goal in the final two minutes.

In the second match of the day, Great Britain nearly squandered a 3-0 lead before defeating Pakistan 4-2. Britain was leading 3-1 until the 59th minute, when Pakistan's Muhammad Waqas pulled one back. Britain's Matt Daly responded with a goal after a penalty corner in the 62nd minute to give his team control again.

Hayden Shaw scored three goals in the second half as New Zealand beat South Korea 3-1.

Four different players scored in Spain's 4-2 victory over Belgium, and the Netherlands defeated South Africa 5-0. Pool play will resume Wednesday.

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