The Indian women’s team won a historic match against the Netherlands in the first leg. However, they succumbed to a 3-1 defeat against the Netherlands in the second leg of the FIH Hockey Pro League double-header at the Kalinga Stadium in Bhubaneswar on Saturday.
Both the teams were locked at 1-1 in the regulation time and eventually they went down against a very young Netherlands team. Speaking on the two matches against Netherlands India’s chief coach Janneke Schopman was disappointed as she highlighted how her girls were putting more pressure but they failed to create those clear cut chances.
“I think we played well for most of the game. In the first three quarters, we put a lot of pressure on them, but we neglected to create more outcomes. We little bit rushed in the end phase, and unfortunately, we didn’t score PCs today. And, in the fourth quarter, we lacked a little bit composure and lost the ball towards them,” Janneke Schopman reflected on the game gone by.
India’s captain and goalkeeper Savita Punia felt that it was a tight game and the Dutch were better than in the first game. She shared how they missed their chances and did not do enough to convert their penalty corners in the game.
“They played well as compared to last game. Both the teams got many chances. It was a tight game and I think we couldn’t convert our chances. And, in shootouts, it is always 50-50, but I think it’s a part of the learning process.” Savita Punia added.
Schopman highlighted how her ladies’ team wants to grow and take the right steps. She revealed how things started against China in Oman and then they faced teams like Spain, Germany and Netherlands at the Kalinga Stadium. She shared how the team has improved a lot since the first few matches but Schopman also adds how they need to improve a lot more in future.
“We want to grow and I am not necessarily looking at other teams. I am looking at ourselves. And, if we look at the initial games we played against China in Oman and then here against Spain, I think we made a lot of steps. We did a lot of things better as compared to initial matches, but still lots to learn, lots to improve,” the Indian women’s hockey team coach added.
“I am quite happy with how we’ve grown in managing the game, understanding and the awareness of what we need to do and when we want to do, so this was great for us to play these home games and learn from them,” she added.
The Indian women’s hockey team were awarded six points as their England double header got cancelled. The English team players failed to reach India as they had several COVID-19 cases and injuries affecting the players. The matches between India and England were scheduled for the 2nd and 3rd of April. With these six points and another point from the second game against the Netherlands, India have reached the top of the FIH Hockey Pro League standings with 22 points.
