India suffer narrow 2-3 defeat against Netherlands in their opening match of FIH Men's Pro League 2025-26 Rotterdam leg
Rotterdam, June 14
The Indian Men's Hockey Team suffered a narrow 2-3 loss against the Netherlands at Hockey Club Rotterdam on Sunday.
Dilpreet Singh (10') and Sukhjeet Singh (33') scored for India, while Miles Bukkens (3'), Koen Bijen (23') and Tijmen Reyenga (40') found the back of the net for the Dutch, according to a press release.
The hosts began the game on the front foot, controlling possession as they looked to make early inroads. They piled on the pressure with four penalty corners in quick succession and drew first blood as Miles Bukkens (3') fired an upright reverse finish past the Indian goalkeeper to give the Netherlands the lead.
Shilanand Lakra nearly got India back on level terms soon after, as he hit the post in the 8th minute. The visitors eventually found the equaliser courtesy of Dilpreet Singh (10'), after a sensational long pass from Harmanpreet Singh allowed the attacker to fire his shot past the Dutch goalkeeper from a narrow angle.
With the lion's share of possession in the second quarter, the Netherlands created chances with regularity but couldn't find a way past Suraj Karkera. As India played on the counterattack, Dilpreet Singh had the opportunity to double his tally but was denied by the Dutch goalkeeper. The hosts eventually got back in front as Koen Bijen (23') found the back of the net with a first-time strike to give his side a 2-1 lead at halftime.
India began the second half by stringing together neat passes to control the tempo as they grew into the game. The visitors earned their first penalty corner of the match and made it count with a clever set-piece routine that was finished off by Sukhjeet Singh (33'), levelling the score at 2-2. The Dutch responded with a penalty corner variation of their own as Tijmen Reyenga (40') rifled his effort past the goalkeeper to help his side regain the lead.
Chasing a one-goal deficit, India looked more positive in the final quarter as they pushed the Netherlands back into their own half. The hosts had to defend in numbers as India continued to search for the equaliser through penalty corners. In the end, though, the Netherlands held firm to secure a 3-2 victory.
India will face Germany in their next match, scheduled on June 17 at 23:00 hrs.
— ANI
Reader Comments
Disappointing but not shocking. The Dutch are masters of penalty corner variations and we conceded two goals from that. Our penalty corner conversion in the final quarter needed more creativity. Still, fighting till the end against the Olympic champions is no small feat. We'll bounce back!
Good effort boys! The first 10 minutes we were shaky but settled nicely. Shilanand hit the post - so close! And that Harmanpreet to Dilpreet connection, wow. Need to work on finishing and penalty corner defense though. Germany next will be another tough test. Proud of this team! 💪
We need to stop conceding early goals - 3rd minute again? That's a pattern. But credit where due, we equalized twice against a top team. The spirit is there. I just wish our set-piece execution was sharper in the final quarter. Germany will be a different challenge, more physical. Hope we improve. Acha performance overall.
As a hockey fan from Australia, I keep an eye on India's progress. This is a respectable result. The Dutch are incredibly disciplined in defense and clinical on PCs. India's counterattacking speed is impressive. Dilpreet is looking sharp. The Pro League is great preparation for the World Cup. Good luck against Germany!
Aaj kal hockey mein improvement toh dikh raha hai! Narrow loss to Netherlands is not bad at all. Our midfield needs to control possession better though - we were chasing the ball too much. But the youngsters are stepping up
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