India beaten 3-1 by Netherlands in Amstelveen, left bottom of Group E at Hockey World Cup
India lost 3-1 to co-host Netherlands in Amstelveen on Saturday (August 22, 2026) in the second round of the Hockey World Cup, a defeat that left the Indian team bottom of Group E.
The lack of field goals has been a persistent issue for India in this tournament; the team has scored just three field goals so far, with two coming in the win over World no. 12 Pakistan. India’s only goal against the Netherlands came from a Penalty Corner, and senior forward Mandeep Singh remains without a goal in this edition.
Head coach Craig Fulton described the performance in statistical terms and expressed the squad’s disappointment, saying it was the “best we’ve played stats-wise” against Netherlands in a major tournament but that the group was “bitterly disappointed.” After the match Fulton told The Hindu: “We played a good game with a good game plan. I thought we needed to score a goal in the first half. We created one or two really good chances but it wasn’t to be. When we came out in the third quarter [we were] okay. It was still fine.”
On scoring from set pieces versus open play, Fulton said: “We just couldn’t connect enough in the D to try and get a field goal. I think we won probably four [six] PCs and scored one. But [in] field chances, we needed the field goal. That was what we were pushing for.”
India conceded two counter-attacking goals in the match and the third goal followed an error by midfielder Manpreet Singh. Fulton, who is South African, declined to single out players for blame: “I think I can’t fault anyone’s effort and approach and attitude to doing what needed to be done today. It was a really, really tough game. I thought we did really well. We just needed to get ahead,” he said.
Fulton also revealed that skipper Harmanpreet Singh, who scored India’s lone goal from a Penalty Corner, was managing a back problem during the game. “We’ll see now afterwards. He had a stiff back. He rested in training but it wasn’t serious. and then he played and he scored. But at the same time, we have to look after the human first and make sure he’s okay,” Fulton said, noting Harmanpreet went off for treatment immediately after scoring when Netherlands re-established a two-goal lead.
To reach the semifinals India must beat Argentina by four goals or more; Netherlands also needs to beat England on Monday for India’s path to the last four to remain open.