The Indian squad had rallied several times in the past, but on this crucial day, the Dutch were simply too strong for them.
The Netherlands’ dominance in women’s hockey is legendary. They now hold both titles in addition to the Pro League. They have won the senior World Cup nine times and the junior tournament five times. In addition, they are the current Olympic champions. Thus, it shouldn’t be shocking if the Dutch win gold for the first time in a brand-new international hockey competition.
On Saturday, India was the victim of the unrelenting Orange machine as the dominant team won the first-ever FIH Hockey5s Women’s World Cup 2024 in Muscat, Oman.
In the classic 11-a-side style, the World No. 1 team dominated India in the first half of the match before letting up in the second half to win the title match 7-2.
Hockey5s is a 5-a-side game played on a smaller field with almost constant activity since rebound boards are used in place of traditional field hockey’s sidelines and bylines.
India had a series of comebacks and second-half scoring binges their route to the championship game. In the group stage, they overcame a 0–2 deficit to win 7–3. They gave up the first goal in the quarterfinal matchup with New Zealand, but they went on to score 11 goals without getting a reply. South Africa took the lead twice in the first half of the semifinal match, but India responded each time to win 7-3.
However, a 0–6 deficit proved to be insurmountable. To their credit, India’s second half performance was strong once more.
