(BEIJING, August 23) -- A defensive Germany overcame Spain 1-0 to claim the gold medal in Men's Hockey at the Olympic Green Hockey Stadium on Saturday, August 23.

　　The only goal of the match came in the 16th minute when Christopher Zeller, who was crucial to Germany's 2006 World Cup triumph, converted the first of only two penalty corners they received.

　　It was Germany's first gold medal in Men's Hockey since the 1992 Barcelona Games while Spain finished with the silver medal for the third time.

　　Germany's success was built around a strong and efficient defense that kept Spain's forwards in check with close, man-to-man marking. The usually sharp and fast Spanish forward line of Eduard Tubau, Pol Amat and Santiago Freixa was starved of passes and only a couple of penetrative individual runs marked the Spanish presence.

　　Earlier in the day, Australia crushed the Netherlands 6-2 to win bronze.