Hockey World Cup 2018, Germany vs Netherlands: 3 Standout Players from the match

Having hammered Malaysia 7-0 in their opening game at the 2018 Hockey World Cup, Netherlands took on Germany under immense expectations at the Kalinga Stadium.

However, what followed was rather anti-climactic as the Dutch completely lost the plot in the final quarter and went down 1-4 to Martin Haner's cohesive troops.

Netherlands took the lead in the 13th minute through a rapid strike from Valentin Verga. On half-time, Germany drew level as Mathias Muller finished a stunning penalty corner variation. The third quarter continued to evince riveting hockey and neither team were willing to give an inch.

Germany pulled ahead in the final quarter by unleashing relentless attacks. Goals rained in the last eight minutes as Lukas Windfeder and Marco Miltkau got in on the act. Christopher Ruhr converted a penalty corner to seal a memorable triumph.

Here are the three standout players from Germany's 4-1 victory against Netherlands in Bhubaneswar.

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#3 Tobias Walter (Germany)

Tobias Walter's serene presence under the bar kept the Dutch attackers at bay

With both teams possessing potent strikers, the focus was on the two goal-keepers. Although Pirmin Blaak did not have a particularly bad game, Tobias Walter's composure under the helmet titled the scales in Germany's favour.

During the early stages of the game, Netherlands lived up to their reputation by launching a strong wave of attacks. Skipper Billy Bakker could have put them ahead in the eighth minute itself. But Walter produced a sterling save to deny the Dutch.

Although the German keeper was beaten by synchronised passing in the 13th minute, he shrugged it off and produced a strong performance.

Six minutes prior to the half-time mark, Walter once again came to his country's rescue even as a slew of Dutch attackers thronged the inner circle.

Walter's sharp reflexes came to the fore when he saved back to back penalty corners to thwart Netherlands in the third quarter.

His reliable presence under the bar helped Germany enter the final quarter with scores level and consequently build momentum in the last 15 minutes of the match.

#2 Mathias Muller (Germany)

Germany orchestrated their penalty corners quite brilliantly to confound Netherlands

In comparison to Netherlands' four penalty corners, Germany were able to earn just three penalty corners. However, they converted two of those into goals even as the Dutch fluffed all of their chances.

Mathias Muller almost scored from Germany's first penalty corner. But his strike smashed into the post and ricocheted safely.

When they organised a brilliant penalty corner variation in their third chance, he got himself into a remarkably unmarked position close to the goal.

Skipper Martin Haner left it for Christopher Ruhr who then unfurled a canny pass to the lurking Mathias Muller.

The 26-year old duly deflected the ball into the back of the net. At a time when Germany were scrambling to keep the Dutch at bay, the equaliser ensured that both teams went into the half-time mark with scores level.

#1 Florian Fuchs (Germany)

Florian Fuchs' enterprising stick work infused dynamism into Germany's fortunes in the second half

The likes of Mathias Muller, Lukas Windfeder, Marco Miltkau and Christopher Ruhr might have etched their name on the scoring sheet.

However, Germany largely owed their dominant showing against Netherlands to Florian Fuchs' inspired stick-work in the second half of the game.

During the first two quarters, Fuchs was inconspicuous and the Dutch defence managed to negate Germany's strikers reasonably well. However, the momentum began to shift in the third quarter.

Having played for Bloemendaal HC in Netherlands' club circuit since 2017, Fuchs applied the intricate knowledge gained from some of the opposition players themselves. He weaved past the Dutch midfielders and created quite a few scoring opportunities.

With less than nine minutes left in the game, Fuchs earned a crucial penalty corner which resulted in Germany taking a 2-1 lead. The seasoned striker played a part in the third goal too as his pass found Niklas Wellen who in turn found Marco Miltkau.

Australian hockey legend and commentator Ric Charlesworth reckoned that Fuchs' enterprising effort paved the way for Germany's ascendancy in the latter half of the match. Deservedly, he was named Player of the Match.

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