(Hockey News) The Netherlands women’s hockey team made a remarkable comeback to the international stage with a commanding 4-0 triumph over China in Eindhoven during the FIH Hockey Pro League. This victory extended their unbeaten record in the tournament. On the other hand, it was a memorable night for debutants in the Netherlands men’s team as they secured a 4-1 win against India.
China displayed a stronger start than in their previous matches at the mini-tournament in London. However, conceding two early goals diminished their chances against the world and Olympic champions from the Netherlands.
The Dutch team’s first attacking move involved Felice Albers, who found Yibbi Jansen in the circle. Jansen then returned the ball to Albers, who scored to give the Netherlands a 1-0 lead. The Dutch continued their offensive efforts, with Luna Fokke crossing the ball from the left side. In an attempt to stop it, Tan Jinzhuang inadvertently turned it into an own goal, increasing the Dutch lead.
China had their best opportunity of the game in the second quarter when Zou Meirong found herself one-on-one with Anne Veenendaal, the Dutch goalkeeper. However, her scooped effort over the keeper’s head missed the goal, and the score remained 2-0 in favor of the Netherlands at halftime.
In the third quarter, a splendid display of skill from Marijn Veen, running from right to left, added another goal to the Dutch tally.
China earned their first penalty corner, but the resulting shot hit the crossbar. The Dutch quickly counterattacked, leading to a goalmouth scramble where Chinese keeper Liu Ping inadvertently backhanded the ball into her own net, crediting the goal to the Netherlands’ Joosje Burg.
The Netherlands sealed the 4-0 victory, extending their winning streak to 16 matches. Felice Albers was named player of the match and expressed satisfaction with their performance, emphasizing the need to work on scoring more goals while praising their strong defensive capabilities and attacking prowess.
Mens: Netherlands vs India 4-1-
India made an early impact on the scoresheet with a shot from their second penalty corner, hitting a Dutch player on the shin and resulting in a penalty stroke. Harmanpreet Singh converted the stroke, giving India a 1-0 lead.
The Netherlands equalized at the start of the second quarter when Joep de Mol delivered an overhead pass across the circle to Pepijn Reyenga, making it challenging for the Indian defense to prevent the 21-year-old from scoring his first international goal.
The Netherlands earned a penalty corner with five minutes remaining in the third quarter. A superb drag flick from debutant Boris Burkhardt found the top left corner of the goal, bringing the score to 2-1.
Less than a minute later, the Netherlands quickly took a free hit after regaining possession near the halfway line. Reyenga carried the ball into the circle and found Bijen Koen on the baseline, who played it across the goalmouth. The Indian defense failed to clear, leading to another debutant, Duco Telgenkamp, flicking the ball in from the back post.
The Dutch team continued to impress, with Telgenkamp scoring another goal with a solo reverse stick effort. In the dying seconds, India had an opportunity to pull one back as they were awarded another penalty stroke, but Dutch goalkeeper Pirmin Blaak made the save, securing the 4-1 victory for the Netherlands.
Duco Telgenkamp was named player of the match, describing the game as tough but acknowledging the team’s hard work and victory in his first international appearance.
Also Read: India suffer 1-4 loss to Netherlands in FIH Pro League
