Despite being two goals down at the break, the Netherlands bounced back to finish third at the World Cup.

By Anshul Baijal

The Netherlands came from two goals down to beat England 4-3 at the Dhyan Chand National Stadium on Saturday to clinch their second bronze medal at the hockey World Cup.

Teun de Nooijer, Taeke Taekema, Klaas Vermeulen and Rogier Hofman were on target for the three-time winners. Alastair Brogdon scored one and Ashley Jackson added a brace but they could not prevent England from returning empty-handed.

The match started off well for the Three Lions as they dictated all the early play. The Dutch, on the other hand, were slow off the blocks.

England earned as many as four penalty corners in the opening 20 minutes, but could capitalise on them and saw The Netherlands take the lead. In the 22nd minute, Robert van der Horst made a surging run into the English circle and set up de Nooijer who did the rest.

England equalised in the very next minute when Brodgon caught the Dutch defence napping and placed the ball into the bottom right corner.

They doubled their lead in the 30th minutes, when Jackson blasted the ball home from the edge of the circle.

Four minutes later, Jackson struck again to put his team in the driving seat with a trademark drag-flick. The goal took his tally at the World Cup to seven.

The Dutch picked themselves up after the break and put in a lot more effort. They pushed forward with intent and their persistence paid dividends in the 48th minute. Taekema, Holland's highest goalscorer in this tournament, took his tally to eight. He is now the highest goalscorer in Delhi.

Eight minutes later, Vermeulen pulled the Dutch level.

Looking to get over the disappointment of finishing 7th in the last edition, Holland could not control their emotions as Horst and Marcel Balkestein received green cards for dangerous play.

But the English could not make the numerical advantage count as Hofman grabbed a winner for Holland.

With the bronze medal, de Nooijer becomes only the second player in history, after Pakistan's Akhtar Rasool, to collect four World Cup medals.