The young hockey team of national coach Jeroen Delmee can qualify for the final of the World Cup. But that will not be an easy task for the Orange, with a match against Olympic and world champion Belgium on the program in India. The duel with the southern neighbors starts at 2.30 pm Dutch time.
The Orange squad defeated South Korea 5-1 in the quarterfinals and recorded easy victories over Malaysia (4-0), New Zealand (4-0) and Chile (14-0) in the group stage. But with Belgium, the Dutch team will meet a top country for the first time. The Orange lost in 2018, at the previous World Cup, to Belgium in the final after shoot-outs.
Before the tournament, Delmee did not want to stick a goal at the World Cup, because he has rejuvenated the selection of the Orange squad and is building a new team. “But if we reach the semi-finals with this new, young and inexperienced team, then it will certainly be successful,” he said. The Dutch men were the last world champion in 1998.
Source: ANP
