Both Dutch teams reach hockey World Cup semi-finals

The Dutch men’s hockey team moved into the semi-finals of the World Cup in Amstelveen on Monday evening with a 2-2 draw against England in what was a tense and physical game.

The Dutch needed at least a draw to be sure of progressing to the next round, while England were chasing a win by a two-goal margin.

Playing in bright sunlight in a packed Wagener Stadium, England opened the scoring after five minutes, with the Dutch equalising with just 40 seconds remaining before the end of the first half.

England went into the lead again 90 seconds into the second half but the Netherlands drew level once more. England took off their goalkeeper with seven minutes to go, but despite piling on the pressure, the Dutch kept them at bay, much to the delight of the largely orange-clad crowd.

The 2-2 draw was enough to put the Netherlands at the top of their group, with Argentina, who beat India 5-3, in second place. The Netherlands will now meet Spain in the semi-finals in Amstelveen on Friday, while Argentina will play Germany in Belgium, which is co-hosting the tournament.

In the women’s competition, the Netherlands are hot favourites and will meet Belgium in the first semi-final on Thursday at the Wagener Stadium. They beat China 4-1 on Sunday to reach the next stage. Argentina will play Spain in Belgium.