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The Netherlands asserted their dominance over underdog Korea as the European powerhouses coasted to a 5-1 win in the quarterfinal of the FIH Men’s Hockey World Cup on Wednesday, 25 January.
The Korean team fought hard and never went into their shell. This contributed to them conceding more goals and adversely affecting the scoreline. However, their performance in this tournament was well worthy of admiration.
Korea go toe-to-toe in Hockey World Cup quarterfinal
The Dutch team went on the attack right from the beginning of the game and invaded the Korean circle several times. But the Asian side didn’t hold back and earned the first penalty corner of the match. However, the first runner ensured that it came to nothing.
As the first quarter progressed, Korea started to play with more positivity. In the process, though, they made themselves vulnerable at the back. There were some dangerous counter-attacks from the Dutch team.
On one occasion, Terrance Pieters made a swift run through the midfield and, without encountering any resistance, made it into the circle. He then took a strong shot at the goal but it was well stopped by the Korean goalkeeper.
In fact, Kim Jae Hyeon continued his good form from the last match and was making some brilliant saves. Both teams earned two PCs each in the first quarter, but to no avail.
The second quarter also saw an intense battle between the two sides. But slowly the Netherlands were starting to assert their supremacy. They went ahead in the 27th minute of the match through their captain Thierry Brinkman.
He made a brilliant run into the circle from the right pocket, along the baseline, and gave a pass from the near post. The ball somehow trickled past the Korean defenders and made it to Koen Bijen on the far post. He tapped it in to open his team’s account.
Netherlands grab hold of the match in third quarter
After the halftime break, the Netherlands enjoyed a period of domination. They got a penalty corner in the very first minute of the second half. The main drag-flick was stopped by the goalkeeper, but Bijen very astutely tapped the ball behind him and across the goal line.
The score became 3-0 as Justen Blok intercepted a crash ball from the right-hand side and guided it expertly into the goal.
The game became much more open as both teams looked to go on the attack. This led to as many as six penalty corners in the third quarter, equally shared between the two teams. Korea’s in-form drag-flicker Jang Jong Hyun was being greatly hampered by the no. 1 runners from the Netherlands side. He still managed to come close to scoring and hit the post on one occasion.
The third quarter ended at 3-0 in favor of the three-time former champions and they seemed headed into the semis. But true to the fighting spirit they showed against Argentina, Korea didn’t give up. They pressed hard in the final quarter.
Of course, this meant compromising their defensive fortifications. The Netherlands kept finding ways into the Korean circle through the left flank. One such move from Steijn van Heijningen saw him making a reverse hit towards the goal, from an acute angle. The ball was deflected off a Korean defender trying to intercept the ball and went off his stick into the goal, in the 50th minute.
The Koreans did have something to take away from the game as they scored their only goal in the very next minute. Seo Inwoo was in front of the goal and received a pass relayed from the left-hand side. He made an accurate shot and got his team on the board. However, it was too little, too late.
The Netherlands also had their fair share of chances in the last 15 minutes. Though they couldn’t convert any from open play, a penalty corner in the 58th minute was struck in by Teun Beins. This fifth goal was just the icing on the cake and ensured a very impressive scoreline in favor of the European side.
