Pakistan entered their FIH Pro League debut with confidence and heart, matching the Netherlands stride for stride in the opening half at the Santiago del Estero Hockey Club in Argentina. Their early momentum, however, was undone by a painful third-quarter collapse that allowed the Dutch to surge ahead and finish with a commanding 5–2 victory.
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Pakistan made a dream start. Hannan Shahid cut through the Dutch defence with flair, driving in from the left and smashing his shot past goalkeeper Mauritz Visser to give the Greenshirts a 1–0 lead. But the Netherlands responded with typical precision. A sharp tackle from Thierry Brinkman switched the tempo and launched a right-wing attack. Koen Bijen found space, controlled the buildup and struck cleanly to level the score. Moments before the end of the first quarter, Timo Boers buried a penalty-corner attempt, swinging the advantage in the Dutch favour at 2–1.
Pakistan stayed resilient. Early in the second quarter, Sufyan Khan delivered a well-executed penalty-corner flick to bring the score to 2–2, and at halftime the contest looked balanced, competitive, and full of promise for the debutants.
Everything changed after the break. The Dutch showcased their world-class set-piece quality, punishing Pakistan repeatedly. Tijmen Reyenga restored their lead with another penalty-corner conversion before Boers extended it further with his second goal of the match. The pressure mounted as Duco Telgenkamp slipped in a clever finish from the baseline, pushing the Netherlands firmly ahead and leaving Pakistan struggling to regroup.
The final quarter saw the Dutch comfortably control possession and tempo, ensuring there were no late surprises. Their efficiency on set pieces proved the real difference, turning a tight match into a decisive win.
Reflecting on the performance, Reyenga highlighted the Dutch team’s slow but steady rise in the match. He noted that the squad adapted quickly despite initial uncertainty about Pakistan’s strategy. “We had a great second half,” he said. “We anticipated well, improved throughout, and got the three points.”
For Pakistan, the loss is a tough lesson but not a discouraging one. Their first-half resilience showed they can compete with the world’s best. The challenge now is consistency—especially in defending penalty corners—as they prepare to face both the Netherlands and hosts Argentina again in this mini-tournament.
