India’s hopes of reaching the semifinals of the FIH Men’s Hockey World Cup suffered a major setback after a 1-3 defeat against the Netherlands in their second-round match in Amstelveen on Saturday.

The result leaves India needing a big win against Argentina in their final second-round game on Monday, while also depending on other results to go their way.

The match remained goalless for the opening 40 minutes, with India’s defence doing a good job of restricting the Dutch attack. However, the Netherlands finally broke the deadlock in the 41st minute when Duco Telgenkamp produced a fine finish to put the hosts ahead.

The Netherlands doubled their advantage six minutes later through Tjep Hoedemaekers, who finished a quick attacking move with a deft touch.

India responded immediately. Captain Harmanpreet Singh converted a penalty corner in the 52nd minute with a powerful low drag-flick to reduce the deficit to 1-2 and give India hope of a comeback.

However, the Dutch quickly restored their two-goal advantage. Thijs Van Dam scored in the 55th minute with an excellent chip finish after India lost possession under pressure.

India pushed forward in the final minutes but could not find another goal. The Netherlands held on comfortably to secure a 3-1 victory and book their place in the semifinals with six points.

India now face a must-win clash against Argentina and will need a favourable combination of results elsewhere to keep their semifinal hopes alive.