India sub-junior men's team beats Netherlands U16, women go down

Indian sub-junior men's team registered an impressive 4-2 win against the Netherlands U-16 team. The women's team, however, suffered a 2-6 drubbing.

The Indian men's team took an early lead through a goal scored by Ashu Maurya in the first quarter.

The Netherlands equalised before half-time and claimed a lead in the third quarter.

Deepak Pradhan would draw level for India and Ashu Maurya hit the board in the final minutes of the clash. Rahul Rajbhar also scored a late goal to complete a resounding victory for India.

“This is a great victory for the squad, “ Indian sub-junior men’s team coach Sardar Singh said.

“To come back from a deficit and secure a victory in the final few minutes of the games shows immense character, we should take great pride in this victory," he added.

In the women's match between India and the Netherlands, India trailed 0-1 at half-time. Kajal R equalised for India in the third quarter. But in the final quarter, Netherlands rattled the Indian defence by scoring four consecutive goals. Captain Bhavya scored India's second goal before the Netherlands scored another to complete a 6-2 win.

“This might be another defeat for us, but we are looking to focus on the bigger picture which is the process of growth and development. Playing in foreign conditions is a challenging feat, especially for our Sub Junior Girls. Instead of dwelling on the loss, we are taking this opportunity to go back to the drawing board and identify areas of improvement," Rani Rampal, the women's team coach said.

The Indian sub-junior men's and women's teams will play the Netherlands again on Monday.