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The Amit Rohidas-led Indian men's hockey team suffered a 1-2 defeat at the hands of the Netherlands to settle for a third-place finish in the ongoing 2021-22 FIH Pro League in Rotterdam, on Sunday (June 19).
Winning the double header against India, the Netherlands hockey team clinched their maiden FIH Pro League title with 36 points with two matches in hand. Meanwhile, Belgium and India finished second and third with 35 and 30 points, respectively.
Jip Janssen (7') and Jorrit Croon (45') stepped up for the Netherlands, while Abhishek (1') was the lone goal scorer for India.
The Indians got off to a solid start courtesy of a first-minute goal from Abhishek. However, the effort from the Indians did not bother the Dutchman, and a few minutes later Jip Janssen neatly converted a penalty corner through a dragflick to find a goal in the seventh minute.
Harmanpreet Singh made a long pass to Indian forward Gurjant Singh into the second quarter, creating the opportunity to extend their lead. Unfortunately, the Dutch defense stood firm to deflect the ball and dominated ball possession and circle entries in the first two quarters.
Both Indian and Dutch goalkeepers PR Sreejesh and Pirmin Blaak must be credited for their exceptional saves in the middle to keep their opponents at bay as the scorecard read 1-1 at halftime.
Although India bettered their ball possession and circle penetration, creating a number of opportunities in the third and fourth quarters through penalty corners and field goal chances, they failed to get past the Dutch defense.
Meanwhile, Jorrit Croon deflected the ball to convert a penalty corner in the 45th minute to provide the table toppers with a much-needed 2-1 lead in the match. The Netherlands then went on to maintain the lead and eventually win.
Earlier, the Men in Blue lost 1-4 in the shootout against hosts Netherlands in Rotterdam on Saturday (June 18).
Commonwealth Games 2022: Indian Men's Hockey team schedule
The Indian men's hockey team will next be in action at the 2022 Commonwealth Games from July 28 - August 8, 2022 in Birmingham. They have been drawn alongside England, Canada, Ghana and Wales in Pool B. The Indian men's team will begin their campaign on July 31 against Ghana at the 2022 Birmingham Commonwealth Games (CWG).
Men's Hockey Team 2022 CWG fixtures:
Match 1: India vs Ghana
Date: July 31, 2022 Timings: 8:30 pm IST
Match 2: England vs India
Date: August 1, 2022 Timings: 8:30 pm IST
Match 3: Canada vs India
Date: August 3, 2022 Timings: 6:30 pm IST
Match 3: India vs Wales
Date: August 4, 2022 Timings: 6:30 pm IST
