Title Game - Belgium 2, Italy 1
The 2011 FIH Champions Challenge 2 title went to Belgium after the hung on for a 2-1 win against Italy in Sunday's final game.
Belgium did not trail once during the game, but was not able to relax as Italy stayed within striking distance for the entire 70 minutes. Erica Coppey gave Belgium the early lead with her open field goal 14 minutes into action. Belgium clung to the 1-0 lead for the remainder of half.
The second half saw very little action in the opening minutes until Belgium captain Charlotte De Vos doubled her team's lead on a penalty corner. Belgium dominated long stretches of action throughout the game, and was the better team. But dark skies soon descended on both the stadium in Vienna with rain, and on Belgium, which took two yellow cards after taking the 2-0 lead.
The second yellow card, given to Jill Boon, came moments after Italy's Alessia Padalino put in the 2-1 goal on a penalty corner in the 64th minute. With six minutes left and the lead cut in half, both teams were frantic in the waning moments, but ultimately, time ran out and Belgium earned the title.
The win and the title means that Belgium is promoted to the Champions Challenge 1.
The game was moved from its original 16:30 start to 14:00 due to worsening weather conditions in Vienna. The third-place game was moved to the 16:30 slot.
3rd Place Game: Chile 3, Belarus 5
Chile and Belarus took the last game of the 2011 FIH Champions Challenge 2 the distance, needing a penalty shootout to determine the third-place winner. In the end, Belarus came out on top with a 3-2 win against Chile.
Regulation was a seesaw battle with the teams matching each other goal for goal. Chile held a 2-1 lead at the half, but Belarus got the equalizer just three minutes before the end of regulation to force extra time. While there were no goals scored in extra time, there was plenty of action as two yellow cards, one to each team were issued.
Belarus dominated the shootout with a 3-1 decision. The shootout will go down in history as it was the first-ever penalty shootout, and not penalty shot, competition used to determine the outcome of an FIH game.
Placement Games:
Russia and Canada both won their placement games with 2-1 victories on the final day of action in Vienna. Canada topped host Austria, 2-1 to take seventh-place, forcing the winless Austrians to settle for last place on their home field. Meanwhile, Russia closed the event on a high note with a fifth-place finish with a 2-1 win against Malaysia. Below are the final standings:
Standings:
1. Belgium
2. Italy
3. Belarus
4. Chile
5. Russia
6. Malaysia
7. Canada
8. Austria
Awards:
Best Player: Charlotte de Vos (BEL)
Best Goalkeeper: Roberta Lilliu (ITA)
Topscorer: Yuliya Mikheichyk (BLR)
Fair Play Trophy: Austria
