AMSTERDAM (Reuters) - The Dutch men successfully defended their European hockey crown on home soil on Sunday, delivering a thrilling comeback against an in-form Belgian side who had beaten them 5-0 six days earlier. The Dutch team claimed their fifth European gold in a 4-2 victory despite finding themselves 0-2 down at halftime at Amsterdam's Wagener stadium where the country gained its first European gold in 1983. "The better team won today... We knew this was possible," he told Dutch broadcaster NOS, fighting back tears of joy. The Dutch victory mirrors Saturday's result on the women's side where the world's number one team easily saw off first-time finalists Belgium in a 3-0 victory. For Belgium, a European silver medal equals their best-ever result from 2013 on home soil when the team lost to Germany.

Source: The Star August 27, 2017 17:03 UTC