India registered their first win against reigning World and Olympic champions the Netherlands in over a decade with a clinical 2-1 verdict in an FIH Women’s Hockey Pro League match in Bhubaneswar. The Indians scored through Neha (11th minute) and Sonika (28th), both from penalty corners, to hand the home team a 2-0 lead at halftime.
After the change of ends, the Netherlands scored from a penalty corner through Jansen Yibbi in the 40th minute to reduce the margin. This was India’s fourth win in the FIH Pro League. The victory took India to the second spot in the standings with 15 points from seven games, while the Netherlands continued to lead the table with 17 points from as many matches. Both the teams will lock horns again in the second match of the tie today.