Indian men's hockey team goes down to Netherlands in final game of South Africa tour

Cape Town: The Indian men's hockey team finished off their South Africa tour with a 1-5 loss against the World No.1 the Netherlands here on Sunday. While Abhishek (39') scored the lone goal for India in the match, Jip Janssen (10', 28'), Duco Telgenkamp (16'), Tjep Hoedemakers (21') and Koen Bijen (35') were on target for the Dutch side.

The match began with the Netherlands taking an early advantage as Janssen (10') found the back of the nets in the 10th minute to give his side the lead. Despite repeated attacks, India were unable to cover the deficit by the end of the first quarter.

At the start of the second quarter, Telgenkamp (16') doubled his side's lead. Minutes later, Tjep Hoedemakers (21') scored the third goal for the Netherlands, building more pressure on India. Jip Janssen (28') scored late in the second quarter as the Dutch side went into halftime with a 4-0 lead. India began searching for early goals in the second half, but Koen Bijen (35') managed to get another goal for the Netherlands. Abhishek (39') finally managed to get a goal back for India as the third quarter finished with India trailing 1-5. India showcased urgency in the final 15 minutes but the Netherlands defence continued to thwart away any signs of attacks. India, too, remained firm in their defence in the last quarter, not allowing any more goals on their end. The match ended with Netherlands maintaining their 5-1 lead. IANS

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