The Indian men’s national hockey team defeated the Netherlands by 2-1 on Sunday to earn a third-place finish in the 100th Anniversary Spanish Hockey Federation International Tournament. For India, skipper Harmanpreet Singh (15’) converted a penalty corner while Dilpreet Singh (50’) netted the winning goal. Thierry Brinkman (25’) equalised for the Dutch but could not guide his side to a win. India, currently the fourth-ranked team in men’s hockey, entered the playoff match for the third position after it finished last with two points in three group-stage games. Harmanpreet Singh’s team lost 2-1 to Spain in their first match before drawing 1-1 with the Netherlands. The final league match saw them draw with England, denying them a berth in the final. Early on, the Indian men’s hockey team demonstrated their aggressive attitude by pressuring the Netherlands high up the pitch. Meanwhile, the Dutch squad turned to counterattacks, firing long balls into the Indian half. In quest of an early goal, the Indian squad made quick runs to put pressure on the Dutch defensive. A penalty corner gave the Men in Blue the lead in the final minutes of the first quarter. Captain Harmanpreet beat Dutch goalkeeper Maurits Visser to make it 1-0 for India. At the end of the first quarter, India was leading by 1-0. The Netherlands increased their attacking intent in the second quarter in pursuit of an equaliser.
India struggled to adjust to the tempo of the Dutch attack, but the defence made some last-ditch stops to prevent the Dutch from scoring. However, the Dutch equalised five minutes before halftime with a penalty corner. Thierry Brinkman drag-flicked the ball into the Indian goal, allowing the Dutch to go into half-time with the score tied at 1-1. After the halftime, India continued to press the Dutch half and make incisive passes in pursuit of the winning goal, but the opposition’s defence held firm to fail every Indian attempt in front of the goal. In the final fifteen minutes, India pushed the guys forward and took control of the match. With the clock ticking down, India repeatedly broke into the Dutch half and got a penalty corner. Five minutes before the final whistle, Dilpreet Singh blasted the ball past the Dutch custodian to give India a 2-1 lead. After being stunned by the late goal, the Netherlands went all out in pursuit of an equaliser, but India held on to win. In the final, Spain defeated England 3-2 in a shootout to claim the title.
