fih professional league: India lose 1-2 in second match as Netherlands declare FIH Professional League males’s title

The Indian males’s hockey staff’s FIH Professional League title hopes went up in smoke after struggling a hard-fought 1-2 defeat in opposition to the Netherlands within the second match of the two-leg tie right here on Sunday. India had misplaced 1-4 to the Dutch within the shoot-out on Saturday after each the edges completed 2-2 on the finish of the regulation 60 minutes.

The Indians wanted an outright win over the Netherlands to have an out of doors probability of clinching the tile, nevertheless it was to not be.

The Netherlands gained the FIH Professional League within the males’s part with 35 factors from 14 video games, with two video games nonetheless in hand.

Olympic champions Belgium completed second with 35 factors from 16 video games, whereas India occupied the third spot with 30 factors from 16 matches.

The Indians began on a powerful word, taking the lead inside 30 seconds with an excellent discipline objective by Abhishek.

Abhishek collected the ball in the suitable flank and dodged previous 4 defenders with good stickwork to push the ball previous Netherlands’ second goalkeeper Mauritzs Visser.

The Indians put the Dutch defence beneath

stress from the beginning and dominated the early share of exchanges.

However the Netherlands cast their manner into the sport by levelling the scores within the seventh minute by means of a penalty nook conversion by Jip Janssen.

It was end-to-end hockey between the world No. 3 Netherlands and world No. 4 India, with each the groups matching one another stick for stick.

The Netherlands had been affected person contained in the India circle, and by doing so, secured one other penalty nook within the eleventh minute, which Indian goalkeeper PR Sreejesh saved at bay.

The Dutchman secured three extra penalty corners however didn’t breach the Indian defence.

Within the sixteenth minute India secured a PC however Harmanpreet Singh’s flick was saved by the Dutch custodian.

The hosts managed one other PC quickly however as soon as once more veteran Sreejesh got here to India’s rescue.

Two minutes from half time, India managed back-to-back penalty corners however the Dutchman defended stoutly.

The third quarter too produced enthralling hockey however each groups failed to attain until the forty fifth minute when Jorrit Croon sounded the board from a set piece at hand the hosts a 2-1 lead.

Trailing by a objective, the Indians gave their all within the fourth and remaining quarter, and created quite a few scoring probabilities within the type of penalty corners however didn’t avail the alternatives.

Within the forty seventh minute, Varun Kumar’s flick from a penalty nook was saved by the Dutch keeper Visser.

India had their probabilities, however Visser was good in entrance of Netherlands objective, making quite a few saves.

4 minutes from the hooter, India secured a penalty nook, however as soon as once more wasted the possibility to complete second greatest for the second consecutive day.