Agencies |Amstelveen:
India’s hopes of reaching the semi-finals of the FIH Men’s Hockey World Cup suffered a major setback as the Harmanpreet Singh-led side went down 1-3 to hosts Netherlands in their second-round encounter at the Wagener Stadium on Saturday.
The defeat leaves India facing an uphill battle for a place in the last four. The Netherlands, meanwhile, secured their passage to the semi-finals with the victory, moving to six points in Pool E.
India will now need to beat Argentina in their final second-round match and depend on other results, as well as goal difference, to keep their campaign alive.
The Dutch goals came from Duco Telgenkamp, Tjep Hoedemakers and Thijs van Dam, while captain Harmanpreet Singh scored India’s lone goal from a penalty corner.
The opening exchanges were closely contested, with neither side able to create many clear-cut opportunities.
India’s defensive organisation was considerably better, with the players maintaining their shape and using zonal marking to limit the Netherlands’ attacking options. The Dutch were repeatedly denied time and space inside the Indian half.
The first 40 minutes produced little in terms of goals, but the match changed dramatically when the Netherlands finally broke the deadlock.
The breakthrough came when the Dutch worked their way into the Indian circle from the right. A pass eventually found Tijmen Reyenga, whose attempted connection was not clean, but the ball fell kindly for Telgenkamp.
The Dutch forward made no mistake, whipping the ball past the Indian goalkeeper to give the hosts a 1-0 lead.
The Netherlands soon doubled their advantage. A quick three-pass move opened up the Indian defence before Hoedemakers made a diagonal run into the circle and finished with a deft touch.
India responded almost immediately.
Harmanpreet, who appeared to be struggling physically, returned to the field and made an instant impact by converting a penalty corner to reduce the deficit to 1-2.
The goal briefly lifted India’s hopes and gave the team renewed momentum as they searched for an equaliser.
However, the Dutch defence remained composed and continued to put pressure on India.
The Netherlands eventually restored their two-goal cushion in the 55th minute.
India lost possession under pressure, allowing the Dutch to launch another attack. The ball reached Van Dam, who produced an excellent finish, chipping the advancing goalkeeper before guiding the ball into the net.
The strike effectively ended India’s hopes of a comeback and secured a 3-1 victory for the hosts.
The result has left India with little room for error. Their final second-round fixture against Argentina on Monday will now carry enormous significance, with qualification depending not only on India’s own performance but also on the outcome of the other Pool E encounter.
The Dutch, who remain among the tournament favourites, have already secured their semi-final berth.
For India, the challenge is clear: produce a convincing victory against Argentina and hope the other result goes their way.
After a promising start to the tournament, the 1-3 defeat has placed India in a precarious position, with their World Cup campaign now hanging on a combination of performance, points and goal difference.
