There was an orange wave sweeping the stands as the Wagener Stadion was bathed in the summer sunlight, well past the Friday (August 21, 2026) evening pushback.
Yibbi Jansen, the Netherlands’ lethal drag-flicker, scored her seventh goal of the World Cup to put the host 1-0 up after just 83 seconds. But India resisted in a hard-fought 2-0 loss in the second round of the tournament. But the 1-1 draw between Australia and China, earlier in the day, left the door still open for India to challenge for a spot in the semifinals. After being pushed to the limit just over 24 hours ago, the Indian team struggled to get out of its own half as passes went astray or solo runs ended in cul-de-sacs against the Dutch’s full-court press.
The home supporters were anticipating a blue wave on the turf with India’s new colours forcing the Dutch to switch to their away uniform. The win sent the three-time defending champion into the semifinals while India sits fourth in the standings. India withstood two more penalty corners from the stick of Jansen with Bichu Devi making a block before another drag-push struck the post. After the break, India had a glorious chance to go level from a counter-attack but Sunelita Toppo’s tame effort was saved by Anne Veenendaal. Against the world’s best, goal-scoring chances are hard to come by and soon after, the Netherlands let it know. Frederique Matla beat Ishika Chaudhary on the line with a drag-flick to double the advantage. The mood at the final hooter wasn’t one of despair for the Indian women after suffering their first loss of the campaign as they will know this isn’t the end.