They were unbeaten for 46 games
... until Belgium beat the Dutch women in the Pro League yesterday
The Belgian women have beaten the Dutch 1-2 yesterday. Anybody beating the Dutch is noteworthy. They were unbeaten for an incredible series of 46 games! It also shows the rise of the Belgian women. They have become medal contenders in recent times.
The FIH Pro League, at least for me, still is nothing more than an expensive series of practice games. It has less value compared to the major events. So you will seldom see a post about a single PL game here. But when a team loses for the first time after a series of 46 games unbeaten, the game has earned a mention 😉
The Dutch wouldn’t be the Dutch - especially coach Paul van Ass - if they wouldn’t think the only reason for this loss was the fact they did not play to their abilities.
‘Our individual level was very low. We made a lot of technical mistakes. Didn't get into the rhythm at all. From minute one to minute sixty', Van Ass analyzes his team shortly after the disappointment with the Belgians. (…) ‘Maybe we have now given the Belgians hope. You always do that when you lose. Then opponents think they are getting closer.’ (source: hockey.nl)
Whatever you think of this, fact remains the Dutch are the biggest favourite for gold in Paris, when it really matters. But as you can see in the video below they’re not unbeatable 😉