Utrecht (Netherlands), June 22 (IANS) Returning to action for the first time since February, the Netherlands women's team thrashed Germany 4-0 in the FIH Hockey Pro League on Saturday – their 13th win from 13 matches this season – to clinch their fourth overall title with three matches to spare. Their opponents, Germany, who have not beaten the Netherlands inside regulation time since the 2004 Athens Olympics, were at a disadvantage as the home team, on the brink of a second consecutive title, came out strong and did not give the Netherlands many chances.
Just a month before the Paris Olympics, the World Cup and FIH Pro League winners Holland made a spectacular return to international action with a comfortable victory. The first half was a closely fought contest, with two sharp plays from Holland making all the difference.
Prolific scorer Ibi Jansen opened the scoring with a quick free kick in the eighth minute, before Luna Fokke passed to Jansen who ran 20 metres and scored a sensational deflection to double the home side's lead. The third quarter was a tightly fought affair, with both teams missing a penalty corner opportunity each.
In the final period, the Netherlands won the ball from a pushback and earned a penalty corner, which Jansen converted with a powerful shot to move into the lead on the women's scoring charts with an impressive 17 goals so far this season.
Frederic Matra scored a drag flick two minutes later to give Germany the trophy. Germany had a good mid-quarter lead but couldn't close the gap much and the Netherlands took control again, closing out the game and claiming the title.
– Ian
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