The Indian men’s hockey team ended its tour of South Africa with a disappointing 1-5 drubbing at the hands of the Netherlands here on Sunday.
Abhishek (39’) scored the lone goal for India while Jip Janssen (10’, 28’), Duco Telgenkamp (16’), Tjep Hoedemakers (21’), and Koen Bijen (35’) were on target for the Dutch side, which is world’s top-ranked team.
The match began with Netherlands taking an early advantage as Janssen found the back of the net in the 10th minute to give his side the lead.
Despite repeated attacks, India were unable to cover the deficit by the end of the first quarter.
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At the start of the second quarter, Telgenkamp (16’) doubled his side’s lead. Minutes later, Hoedemakers (21’) scored the third goal for the Netherlands, building more pressure on India.
Janssen (28’) scored late in the second quarter as the Dutch side went into halftime with a 4-0 lead.
India began searching for early goals in the second half, but Bijen (35’) managed to get another goal for the Netherlands. Abhishek (39’) finally managed to get a goal back for India as the third quarter finished with India trailing 1-5.
India showcased urgency in the final 15 minutes but the Netherlands defence continued to thwart away any signs of attacks.
India, too, remained firm in their defence in the last quarter, not allowing any more goals on their end. The match ended with Netherlands maintaining their 5-1 lead.
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