Bhubaneswar, Feb 4: The Indian women’s hockey team suffered a 1-3 defeat against the Netherlands in the FIH Hockey Pro League 2023/24 at the Kalinga Stadium on Sunday. Despite a spirited fightback, India couldn’t overcome penalty corner goals from Yibbi Jansen (3′, 34′) and a field goal from Fay van der Elst (21′) for the Netherlands. Navneet Kaur scored the lone goal for India (9′).
Early Dutch dominance:
The Netherlands started strong, testing the Indian defense early on. Their dominance paid off in the 3rd minute when Yibbi Jansen converted a penalty corner to give them the lead. However, India responded quickly through Navneet Kaur, who equalized in the 9th minute with a powerful strike.
Netherlands regain control:
Despite India’s equalizer, the Netherlands continued to dictate the pace of the game. They regained the lead in the 21st minute through Fay van der Elst, who deflected a pass past the Indian goalkeeper. Jansen then extended their lead with another penalty corner goal in the 34th minute.
India fights back but falls short:
India didn’t give up and pressed for an equalizer in the second half. They earned penalty corners but failed to convert. The Netherlands, on the other hand, created several chances but were denied by a determined Indian defense, especially goalkeeper Savita.
Final whistle blues:
Despite a late penalty corner opportunity, India couldn’t find a way back into the game, and the final whistle blew with the score at 3-1 in favor of the Netherlands.
Looking ahead:
The Indian team will now look to bounce back in their next match against Australia on February 7th.
Also Read: Netherlands Steamroll USA 7-0 in Dominant Start to FIH Pro League Mini-Tournament
