Sandeep Singh scored the lone goal for India

Chennai: The Indian team raised its game but were not good enough to match seven-time champions the Netherlands, who entered the final with a 2-1 win in a crucial league match of the Champions Trophy hockey tournament here on Friday.

The Dutch will play Olympic champions Australia in the final on Sunday, while India ? who were fourth in the last edition ? will now play for the fifth and sixth places.

In a tie which was heading for a draw, Taeke Taekema shot home off a penalty corner just a few seconds before the hooter to keep his team’s hopes alive.

Earlier, the scores were levelled at 1-1 after the Dutch team’s Roderick Weusthof (51st min) and India’s Sandeep Singh (66th min) scored one goal each.

The Indians displayed better hockey than their previous outings against Australia and Germany but conceded two penalty corners in the end which cost them the match.

The hosts started off well holding a desperate Dutch side from scoring in the first half.

Once again, Indian goalkeeper Bharat Chhetri exhibited his acrobatic skills and sound anticipation to save four to five goals.

The Indian forwards, however, faltered in finishing off several good moves successfully.

In another match, Santi Frexia’s brace helped holders Spain keep themselves on course to defend the title as they shut out eight-time winners Germany with a 3-2 win in a nail-biting finish in their last league match on Friday.

Frexia scored in the 4th minute and then in the 47th minute while Ramon Alegre increased the margin in the 57th minute. For Germany, Niklas Meinert (51) and Matthias Witthaus scored.

The Spaniards’ counter attack proved fruitful as they took the lead. It was a case of Freixa’s opportunism with a first timer following a penalty corner.

In the first 20 minutes of play, Spain could have led by a 3-0 margin but Frexia muffed with a sitter with the unguarded goal before him and showed urgency in sending the ball over the post. Later, Eduard Arbos shot was off the mark with only the goalkeeper to beat.

It was the turn of the Germans and they almost scored from one of their forays but Justus Scharowsky’s reverse flick was deflected nicely by the Spain goalkeeper Bernardino Herrera.

In the very first minute of the second half, the Germans almost equalised, but goalkeeper Herrera swiftly offered his pads to a direct shot from close range by Mathias Witthaus and defender Miguel Delas cleared the ball to safety.

Even as the Germans tried hard for the equalisers, the Spaniards scored through Frexia’s field goal. Taking a cross from the left from Eduard Tubau, Frexia went past the defenders and scored for 2-0. (PTI)