SANTIAGO DEL EST­ERO: The Nethe­r­lands outscored Pakistan 7–3 in a 10-goal thriller at the FIH Pro League on Saturday, pulling away with a flurry of late goals after an already high-tempo contest.

The Dutch seized control in the second quarter, striking three times in a six-minute spell. Timo Boers opened the scoring when his low penalty-corner delivery was deftly deflected at the far post by Thijs van Dam.

Sustained pressure from Jorrit Croon soon drew Pakistan’s defence deep, allowing Guus Jansen space to shoot, with Thierry Brinkman redirecting the ball out of the air to double the lead. Moments later, slick give-and-go passing cut through the Pakistan circle, and Jansen finished with a fierce backhand to make it 3–0 at halftime.

Pakistan showed greater urgency after the break. Sufyan Khan’s penalty-corner flick beat Derk Meijer, but Croon produced a rem­arkable mid-air goal-line clearance to deny a goal.

The pressure eventually paid off when Sufyan converted another penalty corner, sliding the ball into the corner to reduce the deficit to 3–1. The Netherlands, however, responded just before the end of the quarter as Brinkman smashed in a rising backhand to restore a three-goal cushion.

The match opened up further in the final phase. A penalty stroke was awarded after Sufyan stopped a penalty-corner effort on the line, and Boers made no mistake from the spot. Pakistan replied through a swift midfield move, with Waheed Rana finishing low after meeting a driven cross inside the circle. The Dutch then capitalised on late defensive lapses, with Croon left unmarked to sweep home on his backhand, before Sufyan struck a thunderous late flick to complete the scoring in a 7–3 defeat.

Published in Dawn, December 14th, 2025