Hockey World Cup, India vs Netherlands: Netherlands Defeat India, to Meet Australia in Semi-final

It's all over here, the Dutch celebrate as they are through to the semi-finals. They have beaten India 2-1 and will meet Australia in the semi-final

Sreejesh is off for India as they go all out looking for an equaliser Harmanpreet is the full back for India there. Can they get a late late equaliser here?

Penalty corner there for India, golden opportunity as they go looking for an equaliser but Harmanpreet's shot is saved by the goalkeeper. Still 2-2 to Netherlands with less than 5 minutes left

Yellow card for Amit Rohidas there, he will be off for 5 minutes here. This makes the task that much more tougher for India here

GOAL! The Dutch have taken a late lead here,  penalty corner yet again and this time they convert. Sreejesh is wrong footed there and Van der Weerden scores. He hit it straight down the middle and Netherlands take the lead with 10 minutes remaining

Holland have the goal but India immediately want a review, rightly so, the ball had hit the foot of the attacker and that is what saves India there. It's still 1-1 here with 12 minutes left

Mandeep had the ball in the back of the net there but the ball had the foot before there, its also the end of the third quarter here. We are still level at 1-1!

Great time watching the quarterfinals of the hockey world cup. This was the afternoon match now enjoying the electrifying atmosphere in the #IndvNed quarter finals. Come on India ! pic.twitter.com/eGMmn1z9EL

— Virender Sehwag (@virendersehwag) December 13, 2018

Lovely aerial pass from Surendra and Lalit gets a lucky break on that, he sees Dilpreet inside the circle and tries to find him but the pass has just too much on it. We are still level here at 1-1!

A couple of back-to-back penalty corners for Netherlands there but India again does well to minimise the damage, the Dutch have been really poor with their penalty corners so far here!

Penalty corner to the Netherlands early in the third quarter here, but its easily put away as Verga fails to get a shot on target. We are still level at 1-1 here

That;s the end of the half here, been a sensational game here so far. Both teams are level at 1-1 but Netherlands have been the team on the ascendancy here. Coach Harendra with an important team talk now!

Green Card for de Voodt there, for the tackle on Surendra there. He will be off the field for a couple of minutes here, been a sensational second quarter here so far.

Great chance for India but Nilakanta misses the target on the rebound there. Great chance for India that but Holland have been the dominant side in the second quarter so far here

Hardik with a superb run to come inside the circle but again some solid defending from the Dutch to thwart away the danger. 10 minutes remaining in the second quarter here

GOAL! The Dutch have got an equaliser here, right on the stroke of first quarter here. Thierry Brinkman with a late deflection, India decide to review but to no avail. We are back level at 1-1

GOAL! Akasdhdeep gives India the lead, its a penalty corner for India and Harmanpreet with a powerful dragflick there which is saved by the keeper. But Akashdeep is wating for the rebound and deposits in the roof of the net. India lead 1-0!

Great run from Akashdeep as he charges into the box there but again the Dutch defence keeps calm to put away the danger.

The Dutch slowly starting to grow into the game here, they are trying to attack from the flanks here but nothing really that will trouble Sreejesh, atleast not till now.

India certainly starting extremely well here, the Dutch are more than happy to sit back and wait for their opportunities. The key for India will be to continue with the aggressive play throughout the game, it will also be their biggest challenge

Lalit Uphadhyay with a superb run on the flank, comes inside by cutting through a couple of other players but his pass inside hits Simranjeet on the foot.

Both teams are out on the grounds here for the national anthem, its a roaring welcome for the teams from the crowd in Kalinga. Virender Sehwag is the chief guest and he meets both the team captains before the anthems

In the likes of captain Billy Bakker, Seve van Ass, Jeroen Hertzberger, Mirco Pruijser, Robbert Kemperman, Thiery Brinkman, the Dutch have got plenty of experience in the midfield and its strike force. It will be a real test for the Indian defence on Thursday.
The Indians too would be relying on their strikers Mandeep Singh, Simranjeet Singh, Lalit Upadhyay and Akashdeep Singh to continue their good work.
With the Kalinga Stadium expected to be packed to its full capacity, there will also be tremendous pressure on the Indian team and the Dutch will be more than happy to exploit any mistake.
"This will be not be the first time. We have played in front of big crows in pool games and in the past as well. We are used to playing in front of big crowds, Netherlands coach Max Caldas said.

However, the two sides have shared the spoils since 2013. India and Netherlands have faced each other nine times since 2013, winning four apiece while one game finished in a draw. And for India captain Manpreet Singh past results hold significance.
"The past results matter a lot because Netherlands have a better result against us. But, we have played well against them recently. We have also beaten them, drew against them at the Champions Trophy. Indian hockey has improved a lot. The match will be tough and whichever team plays better will win, Manpreet said. The India-Netherlands duel is expected to be a fast-paced, attacking encounter with both the teams heavily relying on their goal scoring abilities to come out winners. Both India and Netherlands have scored heavily in the poll stages. While India have scored 12 goals and conceded three, the Dutch have pumped in 18 goals and conceded five.
 

These are the 11 men for India who’ll be starting the match against @oranjehockey in the Quarter Final match of the Odisha Hockey Men’s World Cup Bhubaneswar 2018. #INDvNED #IndiaKaGame #HWC2018 #DilHockey pic.twitter.com/GDpwzUpvec

— Hockey India (@TheHockeyIndia) December 13, 2018

Going by present form and rankings, there is hardly anything to differentiate between the two sides. While Netherlands are placed fourth in the current world rankings, India are a rung below in the fifth position. The last time India and Netherlands faced each in the Champions Trophy earlier this, the match had ended in a 1-1 draw. The over-all head-to-head record belongs to Netherlands. In the 105 games played between the two sides so far, India have won 33, lost 48 while the rest ended in draws. However, the two sides have shared the spoils since 2013. India and Netherlands have faced each other nine times since 2013, winning four apiece while one game finished in a draw.

Of late, the game has witnessed an upward trend in the country but the history does not favour the hosts against the mighty Dutchmen, whom the Indians have never beaten in the World Cup. 
In the six earlier meetings at the quadrennial event, Netherlands defeated India five times while one ended in a draw.
And if Manpreet Singh and his men get past the Dutch on Thursday, they will not only break a jinx but also rewrite history and ink their names in the one of the golden chapters of the Indian hockey.

Hello everyone and welcome to our live blog for the quarterfinal game between India and Netherlands.  Their shoulders are burdened with weight of expectations, but it won't be easy for India to end a 43-year long wait when they take on mighty Netherlands in the quarterfinal of the men's hockey World Cup in Bhubaneshwar on Thursday. Boasting a rich hockey legacy, India last played in the semi-final of the World Cup way back in 1975 when they went on to lift their maiden title.