Netherlands demolish Pakistan 7-3 in FIH Pro League
This is the third straight loss for the Green-shirts with Sufyan Khan scoring double and Rana Waheed Ashraf netting one
By Alam Zeb Safi
LAHORE: Netherlands produced a dominant attacking display to defeat Pakistan 7-3 in their FIH Pro League match at Santiago del Estero on Saturday, handing the Green Shirts their third consecutive defeat in the competition.
The world champions took early control of the contest and never allowed Pakistan to settle, spreading their goals across the match while capitalising on defensive lapses and set-piece opportunities.
The Dutch opened the scoring in the 17th minute when Thijs van Dam converted a penalty corner to put his side ahead. Pressure from the Netherlands intensified soon after, with Thierry Brinkman doubling the lead through a well-worked field goal in the 22nd minute. Just a minute later, Guus Jansen struck another field goal to leave Pakistan reeling at 3-0.
Brinkman added his second goal of the match just before halftime, finding the net again in the 45th minute to give the Netherlands a commanding 4-0 advantage at the break.
Pakistan showed some resistance in the third quarter when Sufyan Khan pulled one back from a penalty corner in the 39th minute, but any hopes of a comeback were short-lived. Jansen restored the four-goal cushion with his second field goal in the 51st minute.
The Netherlands continued to pile on the pressure as Timo Boers converted a penalty stroke in the 52nd minute. Pakistan responded through Rana Waheed Ashraf, who scored a field goal in the 55th minute, and Sufyan Khan added his second penalty-corner goal in the 60th minute.
However, Jorrit Croon capped the Dutch performance with a late field goal in the 59th minute, sealing a comprehensive 7-3 victory.
The loss was Pakistan’s third in succession during their Argentina leg of the Pro League. They had earlier been beaten 5-2 by the Netherlands in their opening match before suffering a narrow 3-2 defeat against hosts Argentina in their second outing.
Pakistan will conclude their campaign in Argentina with a final match against the hosts on December 15, as they continue to search for their first win in the competition.
