Paris Olympics: Netherlands men's hockey team breezes past Spain with 4-0 win to play for gold
Aug 06, 2024
Paris [France], August 6 : The Netherlands men's hockey team stormed into the gold medal match at the Paris Olympics with an imposing 4-0 win over Spain on Tuesday.
Goals from Jip Janssen (12'), Thierry Brinkman (20'), Thijs van Dam (32'), and Duco Telgenkamp (50') capped off an impressive display for the Dutch hockey team in the semi-final clash to seal their place in the final for the first time since London 2012 Olympics.
Moments after the final whistle blew, the orange wave in the stands erupted with joy and cheered for the Netherlands, celebrating their momentous win. The Dutch team would be keen to end their 24-year-long gold medal drought at the Olympics.
While playing in front of stands painted in orange, the number one ranked team was quick off the blocks, hunting to break the stalemate.
Spain, who arrived in the final four after ending Belgium's hopes of retaining their gold medal, found themselves on the back foot in the first quarter.
Despite the Dutch side's quick start, Marc Reyne found himself in a position to put Spain in the lead. He was quick and made his way towards the Netherlands goal, but saw his effort negated by the goalkeeper.
As the first quarter progressed, the game became more open, with both teams looking to create a clear-cut opportunity to go ahead in the game.
The Netherlands went ahead in the closing minutes of the first quarter. Spain's goalkeeper Luis Calzado fouled Tjep Hoedemakers. Janssen converted the penalty stroke to make the scoreline 1-0.
In the second quarter, captain Brinkman doubled the Netherlands' lead after sending the ball into the back of the net on the rebound.
The Netherlands ensured that Spain's back remained against the wall despite enjoying a two-goal advantage.
In the third quarter, the Netherlands extended their lead to three through van Dam. After two Spanish defenders collided, van Dam found himself in plenty of space. He seized the opportunity and slotted the ball into the back of the net.
Telgenkamp scored the fourth goal of the goal to put the icing on the cake and seal the Netherlands' place in the gold medal match.
