This story is from December 8, 2017

Hockey World League Final: Netherlands beat England 1-0 to end on high

Amidst heavy rain, Netherlands beat England 1-0 in the 7th/8th Place classification match at the Hockey World League Final on Friday evening. Mirco Pruijser (42') scored the only goal of the match in trying conditions.
Hockey World League Final: Netherlands beat England 1-0 to end on high
Mirco Pruijser. (Getty Images)
Key Highlights
  • Netherlands finished seventh in Hockey World League Final after defeating England
  • Mirco Pruijser scored the only goal of the match in trying conditions
  • "It was a pretty slow pitch so we had to keep the ball bouncing to keep the players up," Netherlands' captain said
BHUBANESWAR: Amidst heavy rain, Netherlands beat England 1-0 in the 7th/8th Place classification match at the Hockey World League Final on Friday evening. Mirco Pruijser (42') scored the only goal of the match in trying conditions which saw ground staff making repeated visits to drain the turf off water under continuous rainfall.
On a cold and rainy day where it seemed everyone at Kalinga Stadium wanted to be elsewhere, the preparation for an inconsequential Hockey World League Final match were going as per the schedule.
Volunteers, DJ and dancers were all covered in plastic raincoats, few spectators carrying umbrellas braving the elements in the stands had made an early reservation for the second match of the day that mattered. It was a strange sight after seven days of pleasant weather. You have to feel for those in the stands without any protection from the rain and obviously, the players, who were too soon take the field. Things got worse with the rain getting heavier and you could see water spraying across every time there was movement on the pitch.
In 'not ideal conditions' the players struggled to maintain the pace. The first two quarters were drab to say the least with a soggy pitch now allowing the ball to travel quicker and consequently, neither team could play their natural game, especially Netherlands who rely on pace. They did test England a certain number of times but the goalies George Pinner and Harry Gibson did a good job on separate occasions to keep the ball out. They did have an easy game with not much threat in front of the goalmouth.
The first penalty corner went England's way and ball crawled after being injected with the resultant drag-flick even slower. David Goodfield though picked the rebound and almost scored but his shot crashed on the side net.
Playing short passes, releasing the ball quickly while maintaining possession was the way to go. Netherlands scored after the change of ends with Pruijser rolling the ball past England goalkeeper to put his team 1-0 ahead.
With just over six minutes remaining, England got another chance to make things level and this time too, the injection was slow but the shot was quick but rolling along the ground with the goalie easily blocking. England quickly opted for an 11th field player and changed their goalkeeper. Netherlands soon had the chance to double the lead but Thijs Van Dam failed in front of an open goal. The Dutch held on to their slim lead to finish the tournament at seventh spot.

"It was a pretty slow pitch so we had to keep the ball bouncing to keep the players up, it was difficult to trap. The conditions are not ideal. But we encounter similar weather in Europe so we are used to it. We have to deal with that," Netherlands' captain Seve Van Ass said after the match.
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