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Bhubaneswar, January 19
India made a dream debut at the FIH Pro League, beating world No. 3 Netherlands 3-1 in the shootout after both the teams were locked 3-3 at the end of regulation time in the second match of the two-leg tie.
Mink van der Weeden (23rd) scored from a penalty corner, while Jeroen Hertzberger (26th) and Bjorn Kellerman (27th) scored two field goals for the visitors in the regulation time. Lalit Upadhyay (25th), Mandeep Singh (51st) and Rupinder Pal Singh (55th) scored for the home team.
In the shootout, Vivek Sagar Prasad, Akashdeep Singh and Gurjant Singh were on target for the Indians but Harmanpreet Singh and Rupinder Pal missed. Mirco Pruijser was the lone scorer for the Dutch as Glenn Schuurman, Thierry Brinkman and Jeroen Hertzberger missed their targets during the shootout.
First goal
It was Netherlands who stunned the capacity crowd by taking the lead in the second quarter when Mink van der Weeden converted a penalty corner, flicking into the roof of the net from the top of the circle in the 23rd minute. The Indians bounced back within minutes when Upadhyay scored from close range to level the score.
Short-lived joy
But India’s joy was short-lived as the Dutch side restored their lead a minute later through Hertzberger, who scooped home from close range.
To make matters worse for the hosts, the Netherlands extended their lead a minute later when Kellerman fired home from close range to go into the half time with a commanding 3-1 lead. Trailing by two goals, India finally managed to score in the 51st minute when Mandeep fired from a rebound off a penalty corner. Three minutes later, another penalty corner was dully converted by Rupinder to level the score.
Belgium challenge
India will host world champions Belgium on February 8 and 9 followed by two more home ties against Australia on February 22 and 23. The Indian team will then leave for the away games in Germany (April 25 and 26) and Great Britain (May 2 and 3). India will return to play on home soil on May 23 and 24 against New Zealand before travelling to Argentina to play on June 5 and 6. — PTI
Shootout
India on top
India are now atop the leaderboard with five points from two games, but the Manpreet Singh-led side conceded a point to the Netherlands after drawing during the regulation time in the second leg of the tie. As per the new rules implemented by the International Hockey Federation in the second edition of the Pro League, every match of a tie has to produce a result. In case of a draw, the match would be decided by a shootout and the side which wins will garner two points and the losing team will get one point.
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