Germany's field hockey players celebrate with the trophy after winning their Men's Field Hockey World Cup final match against Australia at the Warsteiner Hockey Park stadium in Moenchengladbach yesterday. - Reuters

Germany rallied from two goals down yesterday to beat Olympic champions Australia 4-3 and win back-to-back World Cup titles.

Christopher Zeller scored two goals and set up another as Germany became just the second team to win consecutive World Cup titles, after Pakistan in 1978 and 1982.

The Kookaburras led 3-1, but Moritz Fuerste scored in the 45th, Bjoern Emmerling in the 49th and Zeller hit the 55th-minute winner in front of a delighted home crowd of 12,000 people.

Germany's players had promised to win the title to farewell departing coach Bernhard Peters.

Australia, seeking their first World Cup title and not having beaten Germany in a major event since 1993, almost levelled when a shot by Luke Doerner off a penalty corner hit the post with four minutes left.

Zeller, a day after being named the world's best player under the age of 23, went past four Australian defenders to score and give a 1-0 lead in the 18th minute.

But Mark Knowles equalised in the 20th from a penalty corner, and Matthew Naylor put Australia 2-1 up five minutes later from another penalty corner. Troy Elder made it 3-1 in the 38th, tapping in after a hard shot rolled over Germany goalkeeper Ulrich Bubolz.

Zeller triggered Germany's comeback with a shot that Fuerste deflected into the goal. The 22-year-old Zeller scored the winner on another solo run down the left flank.

Australia lost Jamie Dwyer, 2004 world player of the year, before the start when he withdrew injured.

Australia scored the most goals in the tournament and conceded the equal least.

Spain beat South Korea 3-2 in the third-place play-off on Pol Amat's 71st-minute golden goal.

Japan finished ninth after defeating Argentina 2-1, and India edged South Africa 1-0 to come 11th.