Mink Weerden hat-tricks for tight win over India

Netherlands defender Mink Weerden whacked in three goals to deny India any space or point in the crucial match between the two in Pool D of the ongoing Junior World Cup at Sengkang Sports and Recreation Centre, Singapore.

India scored through Mandeep Antil and Diwakarram.

Weerden scored in the 10th, 13th and 51st minutes, first two direct drag flicks from penalty corners while the third was off a rebound after his flick was anticipated by Indian goalie Mrinal.

To a clinical level, the Dutch got three penalty corners and converted all of them!

Diwakarram scored in the 53rd minute, to make the score 3-2, but another goal eluded India all through.

The intensity of Indian attack was so high that the chasing Dutch team ended up with two yellow cards, one in the 55th another five minutes later. India had a two-men advantage and utilized it well to generate a flurry of attacks. India got at least four penalty corners in this spell, but wayward stopping spoilt the Indian party.

Dutch goalie, the lanky Primin Blaak deservedly got a huge hug from his coach after the victory, for, he was a rock of Gibraltor for the Indian forwards.

In fact, India started off the campaign the way they would have liked to. Mandeep Antil spurt from middle, to reeive a pass from right wing, and then whacked in the fifth minute much to the delight of the goody crowd.

Exactly five minuter later, the first goal of Weerden’s hattrick surfaced

India’s second that came off in the 53rd minute electified the crowd, and then a flurry of chances as well. At least three good deflections off crosses from right flank were made, each one just missing the target by a whisker.

The real hero of the match of course is scorers, not even the hat-trick man Weerden but it is Dutch Goalie Pimin Blaak, whose anticipation and clearance are lessons in itself.

Its Blaak who shut-out and blacked out India from dreaming strong in Singapore.

India had many moments to equalize, especially in the last ten minutes, but wayward hitting, and excellent anticipation from Blaak did not allow any leeway.

India’s inability to properly sequentialize pusher and stopper — three PCs were wasted this way –snapped India from snipping distance of draw.

Coach Bansal could not explain why the penalty corner pushes were not properly stopped by Horo, an otherwise reliable stopper. Was the push of Pramod too fast? One never knows.

India is not shut out of the medal race. Much will depend on tomorrow’s Netherlands-New Zealand match. The Dutch need to defeat New Zealand and then India should have better goal difference than NZ to move to medal round.