Hockey
FIH Pro League 2024-25 LIVE: India fall to The Dutch - HIGHLIGHTS
A tactical battle ensued in India's opening fixture of the European leg.
Harmanpreet Singh. (Photo credit: Hockey India)
FIH Men's Pro League: The Indian men's hockey team kickstarted their European tour of the 2024-25 FIH Pro League against The Netherlands at the Wagener Hockey Stadium, Amstelveen on Saturday.
The Harmanpreet Singh-led Indian team have so far played eight matches in the 2024-25 FIH Pro League, winning five of those. With the winner of the six-month long competition set to book their spot at the 2026 FIH Hockey World Cup, there is a lot at stake.
India, under the aegis of Craig Fulton, are currently placed third in the nine-team points table with 15 points. They are a solitary point adrift of England and Belgium, who are placed above them.
Against the Dutch, however, on Saturday, India was undone 1-2, and a brace from Van Dam meant that India had nothing to show from their game tonight.
Speaking to the broadcasters after the game, Indian skipper Harmanpreet Singh said that improvements were needed in defense.
"We did a great job. 1st quarter was very good. We have to be perfect every time. We have to improve a little bit on the defense structure and on the ball. Sometimes, I think we're forcing too much. We need to control the pace and we need to be good in defense every time."
The action as it happened...
Live Updates
- 7 Jun 2025 2:05 PM GMT
"We expect them to full press for 60 minutes"
"The past week we were in Ireland, we had a few games against them. We are used to the weather now. We expect them [Netherlands] to full press man-to-man for 60 minutes, make our life difficult," Indian coach Craig Fulton tells the broadcasters ahead of the match.
- 7 Jun 2025 1:45 PM GMT
Goood Eveninggg!
Hello and a warm welcome to The Bridge's LIVE coverage as the Indian men's hockey team kickstart the European leg of their 2024-25 FIH Pro League.
Both India and Netherlands are placed third and fourth respectively in the points table, having played eight matches apiece since the start of the competition in November last year.
With the champion of the tournament set to be crowned later this month, there is a lot to play for especially with the winning team booking themselves a spot at the 2026 FIH Hockey World Cup.
Can India start their campaign in Europe on a winning note against home favourties Netherlands? Stay tuned to find out!
