Pro League: Dutch Eves Exude Class All Around

The Netherlands women’s hockey team have been the team to beat on the world stage – they showed at the 2024 Paris Olympics why they were a cut above the rest pumping in 26 goals, going into the final against resilient China, who forced the much-fancied side to take the shootout route where the former had the last laugh.

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All top teams be it Argentina, Germany, Australia, Belgium, Great Britain have found it exceedingly challenging against the Netherlands eves – their collective might have been too hot to handle for all opposition teams across tourneys. The world number one side under newly-installed coach Raoul Ehren thumped 4th ranked Germany 6-1 to make a statement in their 2024-25 Pro League opener at Santiago del Estero, and subsequently meted out a similar drubbing in the second leg winning 4-1. The Dutch eves edged out Olympic bronze medallists and hosts Argentina 3-2 in their first leg and when it appeared the script was folding nearly perfectly, they endured a setback of sorts, going down to Argentina 2-3 in the second leg thanks to late match-winner from mercurial Mario Granatto.

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Despite the final game slip-up against the Las Leonas, the Netherlands have indeed looked menacing to win their fifth consecutive Pro League crown. The Dutch women are sitting pretty at the top of the points table with 9 points from 4 games ahead of China, Belgium, and Argentina.

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The Dutch firepower would be surely be tough to handle for all teams in the 2024-25 Pro League.

Image Credit: FIH