FIH Pro-League: Belgium sides beat the heat, as Dutch, Germany women and India men find wins in Bhubaneswar

Lausanne, Switzerland – In the sweltering temperatures in Santiago del Estera, Argentina, both the Belgian sides were victorious against Australia. A double sudden-death round of shootouts gave the Belgian men their victory in the opener, while the Red Panthers controlled the game to take a 2-1 win over the Hockeyroos.

Earlier in the day in Bhubaneswar, the Netherlands women’s side made a triumphant return to action in their first FIH Hockey Pro League match of the year, dismantling England 5-1 while Germany’s women were also in dominant form against hosts India. In the day’s other fixture, India’s men had to come from a goal down to get the better of Ireland.

(Women’s) England 1 – 5 Netherlands

The Netherlands started slowly before ripping England’s defence apart in their 5-1 win in scorching 32-degree heat.

After an evenly contested opening quarter, the Dutch stepped up the pressure with a high press to assume control. Sabbie Heesh was excellent in goal for England and it took a high-quality deflection from Joosje Burg in the 27th minute to give the Netherlands a narrow 1-0 lead at half-time.

The Dutch then took the game away from England in the third quarter. They doubled their lead in the 33rd minute, a long ball through the centre finding Frédérique Matla on the 23-yard line. She drew three defenders to the top of the circle before slipping a pass to the unmarked Pien Dicke on the left post for a deft deflection. Luna Fokke extended the lead with a drag flick off a penalty corner, and Matla made it 4-0 as she prowled along the baseline behind England’s defence.

Matla again drew defenders to her in the 50th minute before feeding Fay van der Elst for a tap-in. Olivia Hamilton then grabbed a late consolation goal for England, but the Dutch celebrated a big win in their first international match since December.

The player of the match was awarded to Frédérique Matla of the Netherlands who said: “I’m really happy with the game. It’s good to be back with the girls and here in India as well… It was a very good first game and really nice to start the new year with a win. We love the sun so we’re happy to be here – in Holland it’s very cold!”

(Women’s) India 0 – 4 Germany

Germany took their chances for a 4-0 win over hosts India, coping better in wet conditions that tested the drainage capacity of the pitch to the limit at times.

Amelie Wortmann got Germany off to the perfect start by opening the scoring from a 3rd-minute goalmouth scramble. The Germans went on to dominate the first half and Sophia Schwabe doubled their lead with an 18th-minute field goal. India created some excellent opportunities with flowing counterattacks and although they trailed 2-0 at the break they were still in the game.

The home side put in a strong showing through a goalless third quarter and their hopes were still very much alive heading into the final period. However, Schwabe struck a killer blow with a 47th-minute reverse strike and there was no way back for India. Johanna Hachenberg had the final say for Germany, grabbing her first international goal from a late penalty corner rebound.

Germany’s Sophia Schwabe received the player of the match award and said: “I’m so proud of my team that we made a big step forward, and we’re looking forward and so excited to play the next game against India.”

(Men’s) India 3 – 1 Ireland

India had to fight back from a goal down in a difficult 3-1 win over Ireland.

The Irish opened the scoring with an 8th-minute ripper when Jeremy Duncan squeezed the ball hard into the turf and launched it over goalkeeper Krishan Bahadur Pathak’s shoulder. The Irish came close to stretching the lead a couple of times, but the excellent Pathak was determined not to concede a second.

India gradually battled their way back and their equaliser came in the 22nd minute. It was individual brilliance from Mandeep Singh, who carried the ball 30 meters and lashed it into the roof of the net to delight the home fans. The goal triggered a wave of Indian attacks, but the scores remained locked 1-1 at half time.

The hosts bossed the second half, but they struggled to beat the brave Irish defence until the 45th minute when Jarmanpreet Singh’s penalty corner rebound finally found a way past Jamie Carr in goal. The match was closely fought to the end, and it took a clever penalty corner variation from India in the 58th minute to secure the result. Harmanpreet Singh first eliminated the Irish runners with a big shape to the right, then made a magical slip back to the stopper who injected towards goal for Sukhjeet Singh to score from a deflection.

Sukhjeet Singh was named player of the match for India and said: “The team performed well against a good Irish side. Our second-half performance was particularly great to come from behind, take the lead and hold on to get the win”

(Men’s) Australia 2 – 2 Belgium (SO: 3-4)

Australia struck first in the 15th minute after an interception at midfield sparked a quick break down the left side of the pitch. Cambell Geddes received the ball on the baseline and managed to touch it past Belgian keeper Loic van Doren, marking his first international goal in just his second match.

Tom Boon, the league’s top scorer, responded with two goals for Belgium. His first came off a Tobias Biekens delivery that popped up off Thibeau Stockbroekx before Boon redirected it in for the equalizer. Boon secured his second in the fourth quarter with a superb drag flick finish. Despite controlling much of the offensive play, Australia found themselves needing a late rally. Jack Welch answered the call, blasting a penalty corner flick past van Doren to level the score.

As the clock wound down, the game’s physicality and tempo remained high. A hard challenge in the Australian defensive circle saw Hayden Beltz receive a yellow card, leading to back-to-back penalty corners for Belgium. However, van Doren made two crucial saves to send the match to a shootout.

After a 2-2 draw in the initial shootout round, Antoine Kina delivered the decisive goal, sealing Belgium’s 4-3 shootout victory. The Red Lions continued their perfect record against Australia in shootouts, going 5-for-5, with Boon and Kina delivering clutch finishes in sudden death to claim the bonus point.

Belgium keeper Loic van Doren was named player of the match and said: “This is our second game (in Argentina) and the conditions are pretty hot and pretty difficult but this young team shows there is a lot more in the tank. It’s really nice l to see that we keep on making steps forward like in this game. We had a really good training camp before this week and we trained a lot. It’s always nice and rewarding when you train hard and the saves come as well. I’ll stick with that and will keep on working for the next couple of games a well.”

(Women’s) Australia 1 – 2 Belgium

Belgium controlled the pace of the game right from the start. Judith Vandermeiren had the first test of Australian keeper Zoe Newman with a powerful backhand shot but Newman steered the ball wide. The Hockeyroos struggled to create chances, earning just one penalty corner in the first half, but Karri Somerville’s low flick drifted wide.

The breakthrough came early in the second quarter when Alix Gerniers pounced on a rebound that came hig off Newman’s pads. A clever few touches set up Ambre Ballenghienl, who battled through chaos to get it over the line for a 1-0 lead. Belgium doubled their advantage late in the third, sparked by a surging run from Lien Hillewaert. Perrine de Clerck’s circle entry was clever and opened up Ballenghien, who skillfully popped the ball up before smashing it out of the air and in for her second of the match.

The Red Panthers continued to put Australia under pressure, with Alix Marien carving space in the circle, but her pass skidded past the post. Australia finally found a breakthrough late in the fourth quarter when high pressure forced a turnover. Jade Smith’s pass connected with Mariah Williams, who showed her experience and fired a backhand strike to cut the deficit to one. Despite the late push, Belgium’s clinical finishing secured a 2-1 victory.

Belgium’s Delphine Marien was named player of the match and said: “I think we played really well. It was a tough game. The weather is really hot which was tough for us but we kept going. We worked really hard as a team and I think we deserved the three points. We are all a bit tired but that’s part of the game. They’re also tired so that’s not an excuse. We kept going as a team and you can see that on the pitch.”

Current Hero Top Scorers:

Women – Freeke Moes (NED), Yibbi Jansen (NED), Frédérique Matla (NED), Jinzhuang Tan (CHN), Stephanie Vanden Borre (BEL), Agustina Gorzelany (ARG) Sophia Schwabe (GER) (4 goals)

Men –Tom Boon (BEL) (13 goals)

To see the current standings in the FIH Hockey Pro League, click here.

FIH Hockey Pro League – 21 February 2025

Kalinga Hockey Stadium, Bhubaneswar, India (IND)

Women

Result: Match 27 (W)

England 1 – 5 Netherlands

Player of the match: Frédérique Matla (NED)

Umpires: Tamara Leonard (AUS), Timothy Sheahan (AUS), Annelize Rostron (RSA-video)

Result: Match 28 (W)

India 0 – 4 Germany

Player of the match: Sophia Schwabe (GER)