Hockey: The Netherlands secures the FIH Pro League title with a narrow win over India

Janssen Jip in the 6th minute and Croon Jorrit in the 44th minute were the goalscorers for the Netherlands, while Abishek in the first minute of the game was the lone goal scorer for India.

India had an excellent start as Abishek went on a fascinating solo run to make it 1-0 for India just seconds into the game with a brilliant display of individual skill. Six minutes later, the Netherlands launched a counterattack as Jip Janssen sent the ball into the net with his trademark penalty flick to equalize the scores. The home side got more penalty corners, and Indian goalkeeper Sreejesh had to rise to the occasion repeatedly to deny the Dutch side. The first half ended with both sides tied 1-1.

Croon Jorrit placed the Netherlands in the lead with a slight deflection into the goal with just two minutes left in the third quarter after receiving a pass from Jip Janssen. The India squad worked hard to level the score, but a final penalty corner flick by Varun Kumar was denied by the Dutch goalkeeper Maurits Visser.

In a post-match interview, Player of the Match Lars Balk said, "We are feeling good (about the win) in front of our home crowd. It was a tough season with a lot of excellent matches. Today's match was one of the best games in our league.

Argentine women top India in a hard-fought the second leg match 

In the women's event, Argentina won against India 3-2 in the second leg of the FIH Pro League match at HC Rotterdam, Rotterdam, on June 19.

Within the regulation time, Delfina Thome in the 37th minute, Eugenia Trinchinetti in the 40th minute and Agustina Gorzelany in the 42nd minute were the goalscorers for the Netherlands. In contrast, Salima Tete in the 22nd minute and Grace Ekka Deep in the 47th minute scored for India.

Argentina had an opportunity to get an early lead from a penalty corner. However, the penalty flick by Agustina Gorzelany failed to beat the superb intuition of Indian goalkeeper Savita. 

Salima Tete slipped through the Argentine defence in the second quarter to reach the circle. She took the shot, which was deflected into the goal by the stick of Argentine goalkeeper Belen Succi, giving India a 1-0 lead. 

Argentina scored a goalscoring spree in the third quarter, scoring three goals in five minutes. First, Delfina Thome equalized the score for Argentina after receiving a well-placed pass from Sofia Toccalino, followed by two more goals from Eugenia Trinchinetti and Agustina Gorzelany. The third quarter ended with a 3-1 lead for Argentina.

India did not give up and narrowed the deficit two minutes into the fourth quarter with a brilliant shot by Ekka Deep Grace. The Indian side tried to equalize the score but failed to get past the Argentine defensive line again. Argentina emerged victorious over India 3-2 as the final whistle rang.

In a post-match interview, Player of the Match Eugenia Trinchinetti said, "We wanted to win this Pro League, and each match we played to win it. We are delighted we played well and defended well. We are most proud of the attitude of Argentina and this match we started with our head in the game and wanted to win it.