A young Indian side failed to make the most of the chances as a experienced Netherlands team led by Billi Bekker thumped the hosts 2-1 to end their world cup campaign in quarter final. India led by Manpreet Singh was eyeing a place in world cup semi-final after 43 years but it was not to be today.
The loss was a heartbreak for the fans in Kalinga stadium who came in huge numbers to support the home team. Indian team was left shattered after the loss and some of the young players went into the dressing room with tears in their eyes.
Match reports
India started on a attacking note and kept the ball possession in their favour in the starting 10 minutes of the game. They got a penalty corner in the 12′ minute of the game which was taken by drag flick specialist Harmanpreet Singh. The man from Amritsar put his best foot forward to strike but it was Akashdeep Singh’s rebound that gave India the lead.
Dutch team started to build the counter attacks and three minute prior to India’s goal, Thierry Brinkman’s magical touch in the scoring circle draw them level with India before the end of the first quarter.
The second quarter brought less action to offer and no team looked close to score a goal and relied more on their defense.
In the third quarter, India gave some open chances to the Dutch team which they failed to capitalize. India also got some good opportunities to score but lack of clinical finishes meant that the game went even stevens in the last quarter.
The hosts got the best opportunity in the 48′ minute when a pass by Simranjeet Singh was not converted by Akashdeep Singh and Dilpreet Singh, standing at the goal mouth. The Dutch team got a penalty corner in the 50′ minute and out of form Mink Van Der Weeden found the form at the right time and beat PR Sreejesh to give his team the lead with just 10 minutes of play remaining.
A foul tackle by local man Amit Rohidas meant that he had to sit out for rest of the match owing to a yellow card. It became difficult for India to equalize after fielding only 10 players on the field. Team management decided to remove PR Sreejesh and brought kicking-back Harmanpreet Singh on the field.
The Dutch team got a great opportunity to find a goal in the dying minutes of the game when they got a penalty corner with India without their goalkeeper, however Indian defense was brave enough to clear the danger.
The men in orange played sensibly thereafter which didn’t give India a chance to equalize and force the match to the shootout.
With the win, Netherlands have continued the streak of never losing to India in the world cup. The two teams have played in 7 world cup matches until now, where Netherlands have managed to win on 6 occasion, while one match ended in a draw.
