London 2012 Hockey: India fight hard but lose against Netherlands
Indian forwards showed a lot of spirit against the Netherlands but the final scoreline of 2-3 against the men in white betrayed their efforts and reflected on the rather shoddy effort from the defense.
- NDTVSports
- Updated: July 30, 2012 09:58 PM IST
Indian forwards showed a lot of spirit against the Netherlands but the final scoreline of 2-3 against the men in white betrayed their efforts and reflected on the rather shoddy effort from the defense.
While the first half had the Indian forward line breaking away and attacking in full force, the experienced Dutch campaigners soon took over and managed to shift the focus on the Indian half. Despite the first penalty corner of the match going against them, the Dutch forward brought their A-game to the fore to counter India's menace.
Custodian and captain Bharat Chetri managed to show some of his class but defense was not at the level required to thwart a side as good as the Dutch.
The opening goal came in the 19th minute when Robert van der Horst managed to strike one in with power. His strike was followed up with another, this time from Roderick Weusthof in the 28th minute.
The second half was more effective for the Indian forwards who managed to draw level only for the defensive lapses to continue unchecked.
Dharamvir Singh scored the opener for India in the 44th while Shivendra made it 2-2 in the 47th.
The Dutch however score again in the 50th minute and were able to keep their noses ahead till the final whistle and take the game against a spirited effort.