New Delhi: They suffered their first defeat
of the tournament today but the Netherlands skipper Tuen de
Nooijer is a happy man as they have already realised their aim
-- a semifinal berth -- at the hockey World Cup here.
The Dutch lost 1-2 to Korea in their last Pool A match.
Nooijer said blamed the defeat on uncashed chances
against the nimble-footed Koreans.
"I am happy with the semifinal spot. It is pity to lose
but we reached the semifinals and that's what counts. We had
some chances, especially in the final minutes but could not
capitalise on them, otherwise we could have drawn the match.”
"But Korea played very well. They had two corners and
converted one," he told reporters after coming tentalisingly
close to losing their last-four stage place.
Korea needed to beat Holland by a two goal margin to join
Germany in the semifinals from Pool A but what they could
manage was only a 2-1 result.
Asked whether their dip in performance in the last two
matches after three straight wins is matter of concern going
into the semis where they face formidable Australia, Nooijer
said, "You can't win every match. Semifinal is a totally new
match and we are confident.”
"Australia are big favourites. They are playing well but
again semifinal is a different match. No doubt it would be a
tough match."
The Netherlands coach Michel van den Heuvel said today's
loss will have no bearing on their semifinal match.
"I am happy we have qualified for the semifinals. We
played very well in the first half but we didn't balance the
game that well in the second half. It was a tough running
game," he said.
"Our energy and power was really good in today's match,
but our angle and possession was not strong enough. You can
control Korea only if you have the ball in your possession.”
"Having said that the semifinal will be a totally new
game. I don't think this defeat will have any influence
against Australia. But every game is a learning experience and
today we have learnt that we need to have more control on the
game. We need to get more spin, power on the ball to make it
difficult for Australia," he added.
Meanwhile, both Korea coach Kyo Seok Shin and captain Ho
Jong Seo said that they gave their best against the Dutch in
the must-win match.
"We played very well. We gave our best but it was not our
day. The last penalty corner miss was crucial," Shin said.
He said the loss against New Zealand played a big part in
their ouster from the semifinal race.
"We are not degrading New Zealand but we took them
lightly. We were always worried about Holland, Germany," Shin
added.
Skipper Seo added, "We did our best but it is pity that
we couldn't qualify for the semis."
PTI
First Published: Tuesday, March 09, 2010, 21:50