Bhubaneswar, Dec 13:
India let history slip out of its hands with a heartbreaking quarterfinal defeat against the Netherlands in the men’s hockey World Cup, a result which left the young players of the team crying on the pitch.
A well-oiled Indian unit had raised the hopes of making the semifinals for the first time since 1975 but the Dutch side broke a million hearts by coming from behind to knock out the hosts 2-1 in the last-eight clash.
Young players such as Dilpreet Singh left the pitch with tears in their eyes.
India took the lead in the 12th minute through Akashdeep Singh before Thierry Brinkman drew parity for Netherlands five seconds before the end of the first quarter.
After a hard-fought third quarter, Netherlands scored the winner in the 50th minute when Mink van der Weerden converted a penalty corner.
The defeat ended India’s long cherished dream of lifting the trophy only for the second time after its lone triumph in 1975 at Kuala Lumpur.
It was a momentous occasion for India to rewrite history books after 43 years as they had never qualified for the semi-finals of the World Cup after 1975.
The Netherlands played like true warriors and didn’t give an inch to the Indians after the change of ends.
Netherlands will take on two-time defending champion Australia while Belgium will take on England on Saturday. (PTI)
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