Bhubaneswar: A resurgent India on Tuesday surprised London Olympics silver medallists Netherlands to register their first win of the FIH Men's Champions Trophy here and set up a quarter-final date with Belgium.
After the first 30 minutes failed to produce a goal, the next 30 threw up as many as five in India's 3-2 win as the tempo of the game and finishing of the forwards from both the sides lifted in front of a capacity 5000 crowd here at the Kalinga Stadium.
After SV Sunil put India ahead three minutes into the third quarter, Mink van der Weerden equalised for the visitors in the 36th minute off a penalty corner. India restored their lead a minute into the fourth quarter through Man-of-the-Match Manpreet Singh in the 47th minute and then added a cushion in the 49th through Rupinderpal Singh's drag-flick.
Weerden lifted the sagging Dutch spirits in the 58th minute when he found the net once again on his team's fifth short corner. But India held on for the last two minutes, courtesy a save by goalkeeper Harjot Singh, who came on for Sreejesh in the last few moments.
India, who finished third with the win - ahead of Germany on goal difference, will now play Pool A runners-up Belgium in the last-eight stage on Dec 11 after a rest day on Wednesday.
The Oranje were the first to get a good look at the goal in back-to-back moves in the 20th and 21st minute, but Sreejesh remained unbreached. But the very next minute Ramandeep Singh failed to trap at good through ball five yards left of the Dutch goal.
Ramandeep was once again involved in a unfinished moved, when he and Akashdeep failed to make most of a loose ball in the Dutch half. Rogier Hoffman almost made India pay for their lapses in the last minute before half-time but found Sreejesh in the way once again.
Sunil's deadlock breaker in the 33rd minute was referred by Netherlands but the TV umpire overruled the appeal to give India a 1-0 lead. But it wasn't long before Weerden restored parity with a flick off the Netherland's third PC.
But Manpreet's opportunistic hit on the second rebound off Pirmin Blaak's pads and Rupinder's rocket drag-flick put the game beyond New Zealand's grasp, though they did manage to given India anxious last two minutes by making it 3-2 two minutes before full time.
Apart from India vs Belgium in the quarter-finals, Netherlands play Pakistan, England take on Germany and Australia will battle it out against Argentina on Thursday.
Pakistan, who lost to Australia 3-0 on Tuesday for their third straight defeat, remain the only team in the competition without a point against its name.
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