Potchefstroom, April 10 (Agency) India went down 0-3 against Netherlands in the semifinal of the FIH Hockey Women’s Junior World Cup here on Sunday. It was goals by Tessa Beetsma (12′), Luna Fokke (53′) and Jip Dicke (54′) that helped Netherlands to book their spot in the final. Mumtaz Khan’s early shot on goal gave a positive start to India but she could not find the right deflection as her shot hit the crossbar, denying India an early lead. Meanwhile, the Dutch came up with a brilliant 18-pass goal that was patiently executed, beating Indian defence to the goal. Tessa Beetsma opened the scoreboard for the Dutch with a fine goal in the 12th minute.
A few minutes later, the Dutch took another brilliant shot on goal but it was disallowed by the umpire as the shot had come off the attacker’s back stick. Though India showed their abilities with attack, creating eight circle penetrations at half time, with five shots on goal, which included a couple of PCs, they were unable to find success. With the match being evenly played by both teams, the Dutch returned after the half-time with an improvised attack that proved tough to beat for India. While they pushed for goals in the first few minutes of the third quarter, India lived up to the challenge with goalie Bichu Devi coming up with some fine saves. The Indian captain Salima Tete, who tried to dominate the midfield in India’s attack, was outnumbered by the Dutch defenders, and they denied India every opportunity to take successful shots on goal. With the match going into the deciding quarter, India still had their hopes of making it 1-1. But the Dutch went on top gear to finish the match with two more goals in their kitty. Luna Fokke and Jip Dicke scored back-to-back goals in the 53rd and 54th minute that ensured they snatched the match from India and march into the final. After the semifinal loss, India will play for bronze medal on April 12.