Amstelveen, June 8: The Indian men’s hockey team will have to shed the habit of conceding late goals if it wishes to bounce back against The Netherlands and stay in contention for top spot in the FIH Pro League here Monday.
India have dropped to the fourth position in the Pro League standings after the 1-2 loss against Netherlands on Saturday.
Netherlands are atop the leader-board with 17 points from nine games, followed by England (16 points from eight games), Belgium (16 points from eight games) and India (15 points from nine games).
The European leg of the Pro League holds greater significance for India. A top-place finish will help India directly qualify for next year’s World Cup to be co-hosted by Belgium and Netherlands.
If they fail, India will have another chance through the Asia Cup to be held in Rajgir, Bihar from September 5 to 14 this year.
Against Netherlands on Saturday, India squandered a one goal lead to lose to Olympic champions 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, however, made a strong comeback and ultimately emerged victorious courtesy a brace from Thijs van Dam, which included the winning goal in the 58th minute.
The Indian defence was upto the task against Netherlands’ fierce attacks but some lapse in concentration and man-marking cost them dearly with two minutes remaining.
Having said that, the Indian forwards will have to be assertive and create more chance from field opportunities, an area which was found wanting on Saturday.
Also, what needs to be worked upon is more co-ordination between the midfield and forwardline, a vital area which creates goal scoring opportunities.
“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. We want to push ourselves as hard as we can, especially against a team like the Netherlands,” India head coach Craig Fulton said after Saturday’s match.
With next year’s World Cup spot up for grabs, India will aim to do well in the remaining matches and gain maximum points against challenging opponents. India played the home leg of the Pro League in Bhubaneswar earlier this year, when they amassed 15 points with five wins in eight games. (PTI)
