Netherlands prove their class with big win over Ireland in second match of Amstelveen double-header

Irish Independent

20 hours ago

Ireland started nervously, with an early defensive error offering the Dutch a chance that goalkeeper Luke Roleston saved well. They soon settled, and Ben Nelson's reverse-stick effort was well blocked by the Dutch defense.
Ireland nearly struck first during a strong spell of possession. Ben Pasley's lifted ball across goal found Alistair Empey, who came close to scoring, but Dutch debutant Mauritz Visser produced a fine save.
The Netherlands earned the first penalty corner of the match late in the opening quarter, forcing Roleston into two sharp saves to keep the game scoreless.
Ireland continued to apply pressure in the second quarter with an effective press that disrupted Dutch build-up play. A penalty corner which could potentially have been a penalty stroke after a heavy tackle on Adam McAllister, gave Ireland a big chance but Lee Cole's shot was well defended.
The Dutch responded quickly. A penalty corner saw Jip Janssen break the deadlock with a drag flick past Roleston. Moments later, another Dutch corner was well cleared, but a deflected cross shortly after allowed Terrance Pieters to volley home their second before half-time.
The hosts came out fast in the second stanza, winning a penalty corner within a minute. A deflection off Lee Cole led to a controversial penalty stroke, which Janssen converted for 3-0.
Despite Ireland's continued effort, the Netherlands added a fourth through Pepijn van der Heijden, who fired low from another penalty corner.
Ireland finished the third quarter strongly. A promising move from brothers Ben and Matthew Nelson down the right side nearly paid off, but a pass instead of a shot allowed the Dutch to clear the danger.
The visitors also started the final quarter brightly when Sean Murray intercepted in midfield and found Ben Nelson in the circle, who finished confidently to make it 4-1. However, the Netherlands hit back immediately through Joep Troost to restore the four-goal cushion.
Even with the result beyond doubt, Ireland showed attacking intent in the closing stages. Ali Empey came close with a clever lob that hit the side netting, and a flowing move involving Pasley and McAllister forced more defensive work from the hosts.
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Ben Nelson capped a strong individual performance with his second goal, cleverly lifting the ball over Visser. But the Dutch had the final say, scoring on the final whistle to secure a 6-2 win.
Speaking after the game, goalscorer Ben Nelson said: 'Playing against the top teams in the world, the Olympic Champions; it's always going to be a difficult game in their own backyard.
"It's our first two matches in a block of eight, I think we need to just keep pushing on from now, take the positives from this game, see the areas we need to work on, and then push on to the next six matches.'
Head coach Mark Tumilty questioned some of the refereeing, adding 'It's hard to be positive after a 6-2 defeat, but we didn't deserve to lose by that margin. We created better opportunities in the first half and yet found ourselves 2-0 down at half-time.'
'I thought we should have been awarded a stroke in the first half but ended up losing our video referral. The stroke they were awarded should not have been, Luke Roleston was behind Lee Cole on the goal line. I thought those decisions were shocking. I expect decisions to be correct.'
Ireland will travel to Antwerp next where they will begin their final stage of the FIH Pro League with an encounter against Belgium on Saturday, June 14 at 2:30pm Irish time.