The Netherlands men’s hockey team reached their third European championship final in a row with a hard-earned 3-1 win over plucky underdogs France.
The defending champions took an early lead in Mönchengladbach when Jip Janssen pounced at a short corner for his 78th goal in 133 international matches.
But the French, who reached the last four with a shock 1-0 win over England, dug in and were only denied a penalty stroke when the video referee overturned an on-field decision that goalkeeper Maurits Visser had fouled Timothée Clement.
The Dutch were unable to break through again before half-time, but scored straight from the whistle in the third quarter when captain Thierry Brinkman took the ball down and smashed in a first-time shot.
François Goyet kept France in contention with a goal from a penalty corner before Brinkman saw his penalty stroke saved. It took until four minutes from the end for Jansen to secure Oranje’s place in the final with his fifth goal of the tournament.
The seven-times champions will attempt to retain their title on Saturday against either host nation Germany or Spain, who play each other in the second semi-final later on Thursday.
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