Amstelveen (Netherlands), June 8 (IANS) After a closely contested match which ended in 1-2 loss against the Netherlands in their FIH Hockey Pro League 2024/25 (Men), the Indian men’s hockey team is eager to bounce back in their second encounter against the World No. 1 side on June 9 at the Wagener Hockey Stadium in Amstelveen, Netherlands.

The Indian side showed promise in the early phases of the first half, with captain Harmanpreet Singh converting a penalty corner to give his side the lead. The Dutch side, however, made a strong comeback and ultimately emerged victorious courtesy of a brace from Thijs van Dam, which included the winning goal in the 58th minute.

With seven games left to play in the competition, India currently stands fourth in the points table with 15 points. With the FIH Hockey World Cup 2026 spot up for grabs, India will aim to do well in the remaining matches and gain maximum points against challenging opponents.

Reflecting on the team’s performance in the last match, the Indian team’s head coach Craig Fulton said, “We did well in the first half but the third quarter wasn’t as good. In the fourth quarter we did well again and were winning the ball, but we weren’t getting any shots on goal. It was unfortunate to lose like that because I thought we could push for a draw.”

With the team gearing up for the next game, Fulton commented on his team’s mindset and stated, “We want to push ourselves as hard as we can, especially against a team like the Netherlands. It was close and we had our chances, so we just need to keep pushing on. We’ve got seven more games, so there’s a long way to go.”

“We’ll have to look at the match recording, have a debrief with the boys, get their opinion on what we tried to do and then see where we can make improvements,” he added.

The team’s captain Harmanpreet spoke along similar lines and stated, “The last match gave us clear areas to improve and as a unit, we’re ready to respond. Everyone is determined to bounce back and beat a challenging opponent like the Netherlands. This squad has the potential to beat every opposition and we will ensure we give it our all on the field in the crucial matches coming ahead.”

All FIH Hockey Pro League 2024-25 (Men) matches will be streamed live on JioHotstar and broadcast on Star Sports Select.

–IANS

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