Australia finished Pool B in second place after earning a 1-0 win against Pakistan in today’s final preliminary round game at the Champions Trophy in Melbourne. The win means that four-time defending champion Australia will take on England in Thursday’s quarterfinal match-up. Meanwhile, Pakistan will face Germany in quarterfinals after finishing Pool B in third place.

The Australia vs. England quarterfinal is sure to be one of the top games on Thursday as it will knock one of the two 2012 Olympic semi-finalists out of the medal race. Pakistan is also sure to have its hands full against #1 Germany in the other two vs. three quarterfinal match-up.

The teams closed the first half in a scoreless draw despite some good chances on both end of the field. For the Australians the half was a continuation of offensive frustration from their 0-0 meeting against the Dutch and left the Aussies scoreless for more than 100 consecutive minutes of this Champions Trophy.

It was Kieran Govers that at last broke the scoring silence for the Australians when he fired in a top shelf penalty corner goal with 20 minutes left in regulation. The Australians breathed a visible sigh of relief after finding the back of the goal and looked more relaxed and confident in the later stages of the game.

Tomorrow is a day off for all eight teams before the all-important quarterfinals on Thursday. The two top seeds from the preliminary round will take on the fourth-place finishers, while the second and third seeds will meet in the other two games. It is a must-win game for all teams, and with this year’s Champions Trophy having no clear dominant team, it is sure to be a thrilling day of hockey.