In the first hockey semifinal match, team Netherlands won over Rio champions Great Britain 5-1 and reaches straight to the finals. It was a revenge taking match. The reigning champions of Rio 2016 fought back strongly but failed to claim victory against the determined Netherlands.
The winning team will now face India or Argentina after the completion of another semifinal match scheduled at 3:30 PM today.
Initially, both the teams stood up for a strong fight against each other. They both confronted each other in 2016, Rio Olympics when Great Britain triumph over Netherlands 2-0.
However, this year at the Oi Hockey Stadium, history was not going to repeat itself as the Netherlands goaled 5 and Great Britain maintained only one. A proud moment for the Netherlands!
After losing their finals against Great Britain in Rio, Netherlands burned the candles at both ends and won every championship followed Summer Olympics, 2016, including the most desired 2018 World Cup. They now stand at the no. 1 position in the hockey rankings.
What favoured their victory?
In the initial minutes of the second quarter, they broke Britain’s resistance. Felice Albers scored through the legs of Rio hero, Maddie Hinch, on 19′ before Marloes Keetels doubled their advantage with a slick move from inside the circle.
From that point, the game shifted towards the Dutch side. By the end of the game, they scored three more goals, defeating Great Britain badly, with Albers doubling her goal tally on 38′ and Maria Verschoor and Frederique Matla rounding off the scoring. The team will now race for Gold against the winner of the 2nd semifinal match between India and Argentina. While Great Britain will face the loser for bronze.
Hockey finals are scheduled for Friday.
