Defending champions Netherlands won the first ever Olympic Games hockey shoot-out to beat New Zealand and set-up a women's final against Argentina on Wednesday.
World champions Argentina prevailed 2-1 over hosts Great Britain in the second semi-final.
Friday's final, featuring the two top-ranked women's teams in the world, will be a rematch of the title encounter in the 2010 World Cup in Rosario.
Netherlands won the Olympic Games women's hockey gold medal in 1984 and 2008, while Argentina's best was the silver medal in 2000.
New Zealand, who were playing their first ever Olympic semi-final, were given a seventh-minute lead by captain Kate Sharland from their first penalty corner.
Dutch captain Maartje Paumen replied in similar fashion in the 32nd minute.
Krystal Forgesson restored the Black Sticks' lead in the 49th minute but Paumen produced the near-perfect penalty corner flick into the roof of the net four minutes later to make the score 2-2.
Three of the Dutch shootout players scored -- only one of the New Zealanders managed to hit the target.
New Zealand coach Mark Hager took the blame for his team's failure in the shootout.
"We didn't practice enough. It was not a major concern in our preparation," he said, adding that New Zealand had never been in a competitive shootout before.
Great Britain started well against Argentina but the first time the south Americans attacked, they slipped the ball onto a British foot at the circle's edge and won a fifth minute corner.
Up stepped Noel Barrionuevo, their corner specialist, and she duly found the bottom corner of the British goal for Argentina's first goal.
It was midfield supremo Luciana Aymar's prodigious skill that opened the way for her team's second goal, two minutes before half-time.
She drifted down the left touchline, fed the ball to Carla Rebecchi who collided with Beth Storry in the British goal.
But Rebecchi still managed to keep her eye on the ball and nudge it over the line while lying on the ground.
Britain had spells of disjointed pressure that made little headway.
Their hopes were briefly raised when Alex Danson seized on a half chance created by Helen Richardson.
There were five minutes remaining, but Argentina were too experienced to give Britain another scoring chance.
Source: http://news.yahoo.com/dutch-hockey-shoot-black-zealand-180914730--oly.html
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