Australia have been held to a 0-0 draw against New Zealand at the women's hockey World Cup and can now only advance to the semi-finals if the Netherlands at least draw with South Korea in the final Group A match later on Monday.
South Korea must win the match against the first-placed Dutch to advance. New Zealand have been eliminated.
The result, which came at the end of a tense trans-Tasman battle in humid conditions in The Hague, keeps the Australian women second in Pool A on ten points, three ahead of the third place Koreans.
Australia might have won the match but for the disallowed goal early in the second half, which was awarded at first but overturned on appeal to the video umpire by the Black Sticks.
Emily Hurtz thought she had given her side the lead with a deft deflection over the goalkeeper in the 38th minute only for the goal to be ruled out after replays showed Anna Flanagan had not attempted to stop the ball after being awarded a free hit in the build-up.
After the match, Hockeyroos Head Coach Adam Commens said he was pleased with the result.
"It was a really hard fought match as it always is against New Zealand," he said.
"I thought that they were particularly good in the first half and we were not at our best.
"It was warm today and we had a really high intensity match against the Netherlands (on Saturday night) and a short turnaround for this match and I think that we struggled a little physically to reach the level that we had the other night."
Meanwhile in the ongoing Australian men's match against India captain Mark Knowles was involved in a heavy collision that saw him taken off on a stretcher car wearing a neck brace.
Knowles was taken to hospital after hitting his head on the hip of S.V. Sunil.
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