India Edge Netherlands 3-2 in Rotterdam

The Indian men’s hockey team concluded its Rotterdam leg of the FIH Pro League with a hard-fought 3-2 victory over hosts the Netherlands in an entertaining and closely contested match.

The win enabled India to avenge a 3-2 defeat suffered against the Dutch earlier in the week. The Rotterdam leg proved to be a mixed outing for the visitors, who split results against both the Netherlands and Germany, registering one win and one loss against each side.

Despite securing two victories during the leg, India remained eighth in the standings at the conclusion of the second phase of the league, one position above bottom-placed Pakistan.

India will now travel to London for the third and final leg of the FIH Pro League, where it will face arch-rivals Pakistan on June 23 and 26, along with hosts England, to complete its 16-match campaign.

India delivered a resilient performance against the Netherlands, with goals from Jugraj Singh (18′), Abhishek (27′), and Rajinder Singh (56′) sealing the victory. Stand-in captain Hardik Singh was named Player of the Match for his leadership and influential display in midfield. It was also a memorable outing for Jugraj Singh, who marked his 100th international cap and found the scoresheet in both his 100th and 101st appearances for India.

The Netherlands started strongly, dominating possession and putting the Indian defense under pressure in the opening quarter. While India initially struggled to settle, the backline gradually found its footing and successfully contained the Dutch attack. Although India made a few incursions into the opposition circle, a lack of precision in the final pass kept the score level at the end of the first quarter.

India raised the tempo in the second quarter and earned its first penalty corner of the match. Jugraj Singh converted in the 18th minute with a powerful drag-flick past Dutch goalkeeper Derk Meijer to give India a 1-0 lead. The hosts responded almost immediately as Pepijn van der Heijden equalized from a penalty corner a minute later.

The Dutch continued to apply pressure, but India’s defense remained composed. In the 27th minute, Jarmanpreet Singh delivered an incisive pass to Abhishek, who fired a backhand shot into the net to restore India’s lead and hand the visitors a 2-1 advantage at halftime.

India sought to control proceedings through disciplined passing in the third quarter, while the Netherlands continued to probe for an equalizer. The hosts earned a penalty corner in the 41st minute, but Amit Rohidas blocked van der Heijden’s attempt. Another Dutch penalty corner opportunity went astray due to an error in execution, allowing India to preserve its 2-1 lead heading into the final quarter.

The Netherlands intensified its search for an equalizer in the closing stages, but continued struggles from penalty corners hampered its efforts. India remained patient and organized, avoiding unnecessary risks.

A decisive moment came in the 56th minute when Dilpreet Singh and Mandeep Singh launched a swift counterattack that created a two-on-one opportunity. Although Dutch defender Joppe Wolbert made a crucial intervention, he was shown a yellow card for a foul during the move. 

India capitalized on the resulting penalty corner, with Rajinder Singh converting a drag-flick to extend the lead to 3-1.

Reduced to 10 players, the Netherlands earned three consecutive penalty corners in the 58th minute, but India’s penalty corner defense stood firm. The hosts eventually narrowed the deficit in the 59th minute through a well-worked penalty corner variation finished by Koen Bijen, making it 3-2.

India earned a penalty corner in the final seconds of the match, though it was blocked. Moments later, the final whistle confirmed a hard-earned victory and three valuable points for the visitors.

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