Sport · India Bureau
Indian women's hockey team suffers defeat to Netherlands in World Cup
India's women's hockey team fell to a 2-0 loss against Netherlands in their second round encounter of the FIH World Cup on Friday. The Indian side must now secure victory against Australia in their final second round match to keep their semifinal hopes alive.
LSN India ·
The Indian women's hockey team faced a setback in their World Cup campaign, conceding two goals to the reigning Olympic and world champions Netherlands in their second round fixture. Goals from Yibbi Jansen in the second minute and Frederique Matla in the 38th minute secured the victory for the hosts, with both strikes coming from penalty corner conversions.
The loss has intensified pressure on the Indian squad heading into their final second round encounter. India must defeat Australia in their Sunday match to maintain any realistic chance of advancing to the semifinals of the tournament.
India qualified for the second round following a goalless draw against England in their final pool match on Thursday. The team finished as runners-up in Pool D, behind China, which drew 1-1 with Australia earlier on Friday. The Australian result means the race for progression from this round remains wide open, with India's fate now resting on their performance against the Australians.