(Photo: Hannah Macleod scores England's opening goal against Argentina)England beat holders Argentina to win only their third Champions Trophy match in history. The match started rather bizzarely when the national anthem failed to play and the whole England team started singing, very quickly joined by the partisan crowd.
Argentina then started the match at pace and won their first penalty corner after just one minute. However, the high strike was well cleared by goalkeeper Beth Storry, playing in her first major tournament since dislocating her shoulder at the European Championships in Amsterdam last year. And after ten minutes a second corner to Argentina saw their shot pushed on to the post by Storry.
Two minutes later England scored a great team goal, passing around the Argentines, culminating in Hannah Macleod putting the ball into the net for a 1-0 lead.
England gained their first penalty corner after 15 minutes, quickly followed by another but the shot was saved.
Argentina looked dangerous when six time World Player of the Year, Luciana Aymar, strode forward but the England defence stood strong, with Crista Cullen alongside captain Kate Walsh doing an outstanding job.
England continued to press and Laura Unsworth went close with a shot just past the post.
Two minutes into the second half Argentina earned their third corner only to be thwarted once more by Storry.
Walsh was given a five minute suspension on 44 minutes but these seemed to spur the England team on and Argentina only managed one shot in the time she was off the pitch.
However, when Mariela Scarone was given a suspension for Argentina, England's Laura Unsworth immediately won a corner ensuing in Alex Danson putting the ball in the net for a 2-0 lead half way through the half.
Two minutes later and Storry could do nothing when Argentina's second penalty corner of the half was hit low to her right by Noel Barrionuevo. But Storry saved well from the same player with just four minutes to go denying Argentina and giving England their historic win.
China opened the scoring in the first match of the 2010 Champions Trophy after just nine minutes through Xu Xiaoxu. Eight minutes later the Germans were level when a speculative hit into the circle by birthday girl Jennifer Plass was tipped into the top of the net by Eileen Hoffmann.
Despite Chinese pressure the scores remained level as they failed to make the most of their chances, failing only in the final twenty five. In the second half they were made to pay for their lack of finishing when Hoffmann pushed the ball over the line to make it 2-1, the final score.
The final game of the day saw World and Olympic champions Netherlands take on an ever improving New Zealand side. The Dutch had to work hard to overcome the Kiwis 3-1.
Kiwi Lucy Talbot was forced into a goal line clearance after ten minutes and the fist penalty corner of the match also went to the Netherlands, but the defence was out quickly and New Zealand cleared.
The Netherlands had another chance with six minutes remaining but Beth Jurgeleit saved first from Maartje Paumens and then Naomi van As. But the Dutch did not look comfortable as the New Zealanders continued to press them all the way.
In the second half it was the Kiwis who took a deserved lead through Clarissa Eshuis. But the Dutch used their experience to level through Eva de Goede just four minutes later.
When the Kiwis failed to convert their chances they were made to pay when Paumens converted the first Dutch corner of the half. They tried unsuccessfully to level and this left a gap at the back which Kim Lammers took advantage of to make it 3-1.
England take on The Netherlands tomorrow in what could be their best chance of victory against the Dutch for some time.
Photographs from today's matches will appear on our images site at www.hockeyimages.co.uk tomorrow (Sunday).
