Bhubaneswar: India lost its second game on the trot in the women’s FIH Pro League with a 1-3 defeat to World No. 1 Netherlands at the Kalinga Stadium on Sunday.
Netherlands’ Yibbi Jansen (3’, 34’) and Fay van der Elst (21’) etched their name on the scoresheet. Meanwhile, Navneet Kaur (9‘) scored the only goal for India.
Earlier, the Indian team lost 1-2 to China in their opening match on Saturday. To their credit, the hosts put up a much better display than their opening game, but the result was the same. India wasted six penalty corners, an area that has been a concern.
India’s goalkeeper Savita Punia was called to action right from the get-go, saving successive shots at her goal. Soon after, the Netherlands were awarded a penalty corner and this season’s leading goalscorer, Jansen, powered a shot down the middle of the goal to give the Netherlands an early lead.
The Netherlands scored two of its three goals through PCs. Drag-flicker Yibbi Jansen continued her brilliant form in the Pro League to open the scoring in the third minute. She has nine goals in five outings and leads the scorers’ list that her compatriots populate in the top six.
India managed to level soon after through Navneet Kaur, but the Dutch were never in trouble. A goal in each of the next two quarters saw them go 3-1 up, and Yibbi could have added a third to her name, but her powerful shot from the top of the circle rebounded off the post.
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