The Orange women failed to close out the Pro League block in Bhubaneswar on Tuesday with their fourth consecutive win on Indian soil. At the Kalinga Hockey Stadium, the Netherlands squandered a 2-0 lead against India, only to eventually miss out on a bonus point after a draw (2-2). In the shootout series, only one of the five Dutch attempts resulted in a goal. On Monday, the Dutch won 4-2 against India, but that victory also came about with difficulty.
In the first half, there seemed no problem for a strong Dutch team, which took a comfortable 2-0 lead through goals by captain Pien Sanders and Fay van der Elst. Remarkably, the team of national coach Raoul Ehren allowed the host country to come back into the game after halftime. In a phase in which Ehren’s team had scored one goal after another in recent games, no goals were scored and India equalized through Deepika and Baljeet Kaur (2-2).
In the shootout series, Dutch internationals Sanders, Van der Elst, Luna Fokke and Pien Dicke were unable to cash in on their attempts. Only Marijn Veen scored. For India, Deepika and Mumtaz Khan scored, which was enough for the bonus point.
With the two wins over England, and the victory and draw against India, the Dutch did consolidate their lead in this Pro League season, with nineteen points from eight games. But the final game with India will still have a nasty aftertaste for the Orange.
Felice Albers creates danger in the Indian circle. Photo: WorldSportPics
Four changes
Compared to Monday’s game, the Dutch started without newcomers Mikki Roberts, Trijntje Beljaars, Noor van den Nieuwenhof and Emma Reijnen. Replacing them were the more experienced Rosa Fernig, Lisa Post, Luna Fokke and Stella van Gils.
‘We made weird mistakes in the first game with India,’ Ehren said beforehand, referring to the sloppy ball loss and wrong passes. The number of penalty corners against (thirteen) was also far too high in the eyes of the national coach. That had to be improved in the final game in Bhubaneswar.
And it did. The Netherlands was dominant as usual in the first half and never gave the host nation a chance to get into the game. Goalkeeper Josine Koning only got Indian visitors in her circle in the closing stages of the second quarter. In the first seven minutes of the match, the Dutch were allowed to take more penalty corners (four) than in the entire previous match against India. There was no better proof of the Dutch drive.
From the fifth penalty corner attempt – in the seventeenth minute – the opening goal for the Netherlands fell: Sanne Koolen flattered the ball from the head of the circle back to server Pien Sanders, who registered her eighth international goal with a simple push (0-1). After that, chances for successively Eline Jansen, Marijn Veen and Laura Nunnink went unused before Fay van der Elst struck again.
Fay van der Elst scored in her fifth consecutive game for the Orange. Photo: WorldSportPics
The goalie from Amsterdam tipped in a cross from Luna Fokke just before halftime (0-2). A typical Van der Elst goal, already her twelfth goal in 16 international matches. In the past 61 years, only teammate Felice Albers had such figures in her first sixteen appearances on the national team.
Orange squanders lead
After the break, the Dutch were surprised early on by an individual highlight by Indian striker Deepika. She dashed through on the left, shook off Marleen Jochems and was able to push parallel to the back line. So suddenly it was 1-2 and India had cashed in her first real chance of the match right away.
Unlike in Monday’s first game, the goal did not immediately give the home team an extra jolt of energy. The Dutch did not simply allow themselves to be put with their backs against the wall, as happened on Monday in the third quarter. However, Ehren’s team’s passing from behind became more sloppy, allowing India to become more dangerous in the transition.
Surprising equalizer
Against the odds, India equalized at the end of the third quarter when Baljeet Kaur poked in a Sharmila Devi cross from close range (2-2). Sanne Koolen and Josine Koning were grounded at that equalizer.
Joosje Burg balks after a missed opportunity. Photo: WorldSportPics
In the last quarter, the Dutch continued to improve their passing and chances for both teams were scarce. The Netherlands had a good opportunity to score from a penalty corner through Sanne Koolen, but her shot was bravely blocked. In the rebound, Renée van Laarhoven mowed the ball high over the Indian goal. Not much later, Joosje Burg had the 2-3 on her stick, but she flattened Felice Albers’ cross wide. That miss turned out to be the last real chance for the Dutch, who failed to increase the pressure and push India back.
Thus, the second game with India ended in a draw and shoot-outs had to decide who would get the bonus point. Remarkably, only Marijn Veen managed to convert her direct duel with goalkeeper Savita into a goal. Pien Sanders, Fay van der Elst, Luna Fokke and Pien Dicke failed to convert their attempts. It will provide much needed conversation among themselves when the Orange board the plane home tomorrow.
India*-Netherlands 2-2 (0-2)
17. Pien Sanders (sc) 0-1
28. Fay van der Elst 0-2
35. Deepika 1-2
43. Baljeet Kaur 2-2
*India wins shoot-outs (2-1)
Read back highlights of the FIH Pro League match between India and the Netherlands below.
by Hockey.nl
