World League semi-final: Pool B: Scotland 0, The Netherlands 3 (at Lee Valley, London)
Razor-sharp Tommy Alexander was Scotland’s hero as the Blue Sticks lost 3-0 to world No 4 The Netherlands in the World League semi-final, Pool B, in London.
The Dutch controlled the game from start to finish against coach Derek Forsyth’s minnows who are No 23 in the world.
Alexander, who plays for top English side Reading, pulled off a number of quality stops to deny the Dutch who appeared to be in third gear.
Robbert Kemperman netted the opener after 15 minutes and Mink van der Weerden doubled the advantage 21 minutes later from a slick penalty corner.
And Valentin Verga made it 3-0 after 51 minutes to underline the Dutch side’s dominance.
Surbiton striker Alan Forsyth, the top marksman in England last season, had a golden opportunity after 43 minutes from an inch-perfect pass from former Kelburne team-mate Kenny Bain.
But the former Scotland Player of the Year failed to hit the ball when he was one-on-one with the Dutch goalkeeper and the chance was gone with the scoreline at 2-0 in favour of the Dutch.
Scotland now need to re-group ahead of tonight’s clash with Pakistan which is considered a key game in their campaign.
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