The Netherlands handed Great Britain one of the most
painful defeats in recent memory, as they were thoroughly out-gunned in
front of their home support. It was a breath-taking display as the
interplay of Roderick Weusthof, Teun de Nooijer, Valentin Verga and
Floris Evers was too hot to handle.
Billy Bakker and Weusthof were the chief profiteers, claiming a
hat-trick each, while they also ran up four penalty corners from their
five attempts. It was the biggest Olympic semi-final victory since India
beat France 10-0 in 1936 and equalled GB’s biggest ever margin of
defeat in the Olympic Games. It took little time to get into the action
with Bakker and Kemperman firing pot shots inside the first three
minutes.
Klaas Vermeulen was carried off with a nasty looking
shoulder injury soon after before the Dutch hit the front in the
seventh minute. Kemperman found a foot just ahead of de Nooijer who
looked certain to score but Weusthof duly potted the corner. He got his
and the Netherlands’ second from an off-kilter corner which was not
stopped cleanly but was worked back to the striker who was unmarked and
he slammed home off James Fair’s instep.
Ashley Jackson’s brilliant low drag-flick roused the crowd in the
19th minute and Barry Middleton’s touch to Matt Daly’s ball shaved the
bar. But it was brief respite as the Dutch had the two-goal margin
restored by Mink van der Weerden’s seventh goal in six games, another
corner. And the fourth was hammer blow just before half-time. It was an
intricate beauty of a goal as Verga took a free quickly on half-way
and, via close-range passes in the circle between Weusthof and Rogier
Hofman, Bakker walked in the ball.
Britain enjoyed their best spell just after the break,
having two corners charged down by Hofman, Daly thrashed an effort wide
and James Tindall was set clear. His composure was off, though, and
could only find a Dutch stick. By contrast, the orange-shirts were
calmness personified as Weusthof and de Nooijer waltzed down the
baseline to lay up another Bakker goal that well and truly killed off
the tie in the 45th minute, 5-1.
Bob de Voogd’s drive through Fair was tipped in by de Nooijer, Floris
Evers got in on the act a minute later. Bakker bashed another in with
19 minutes to go and Weusthof’s third closed off their scoring before
Rob Moore pulled one back with a nice tip-in to Glen Kirkham’s cross.
Paul van Ass was left with two major worries though as
Vermuelen looks to have broken his collar bone while van der Weerden was
taken to hospital for a scan on a foot injury. The Dutch will play
Germany in the final while Great Britain will meet Australia for bronze.
