New Delhi, Dec 19 (IANS): As the clock ticks down for the start of the FIH Odisha Hockey Men's World Cup 2023 Bhubaneswar-Rourkela, drag-flick legend, the 1998 World Cup winner and two-time Olympic gold medallist Bram Lomans went down memory lane to remember his best World Cup moment.
Lomans spoke to Hockey India for the My Favourite World Cup Memory Series, which brings out some unknown facts, fun anecdotes and special moments from hockey stars around the world who have achieved the pinnacle at this prestigious event in the previous years.
Lomans, who revolutionised the sport with his drag-flicking skills during the late 1990s, spoke about his team's preparations and eventual triumph.
The Dutch team had begun preparations for the 1998 Men's Hockey World Cup in Utrecht, Netherlands, more than two years before the start of the tournament. Lomans, a relatively new member of the team at the time, recalled how the country's sporting atmosphere began to shift, Hockey India informed in a release on Monday.
"We knew the major tournament was going to happen at home. We began preparations two years ago. When we first visited the stadium, it was a football field and football was still being played there. And then we went the second time, we saw the workers cutting grass. Slowly and steadily, we saw the atmosphere and mood in the country shift towards hockey and it was really special for us," the former Dutch defender said.
The Netherlands team had just won the gold medal at the 1996 Olympics and there was a lot of buzz in the media ahead of the 1998 Men's Hockey World Cup. The fans were eager to see the home team perform and there were high expectations from the Netherlands team to claim the gold medal at home. However, despite the hype, Lomans insisted he felt no pressure heading into the tournament.
"We were quite confident. I do not remember having a lot more pressure being the Olympic champions, but I do remember there was a lot more media and fan attention. In the Netherlands, the expectations are always high and the fans can also be quite critical, much like the fans in India. So, there is always pressure to do good. But it's the best experience you can get, playing hockey at home, so I was really excited about it," Lomans said.
The Netherlands had a great start to their 1998 Men's Hockey World Cup campaign, defeating Canada and India by large margins in their first two games. The Dutch team then lost to Germany before beating South Korea and New Zealand to advance to the semifinals. The Netherlands advanced to the final after a stunning 6-2 win over Australia in the semifinals, where they defeated Spain 3-2 in a thriller to win the trophy.
When asked about his favourite memory from the competition, Bram recalled his goal against Korea and described how it changed the course of the competition for him.
"I was unable to score from penalty corners in the first two or three matches. Then, against Korea, I scored one. I wanted to go towards the right, but the ball got stuck in the hook of my stick and went towards the other side, into the back of the nets. The goal lifted the pressure off me and then I ended up scoring a lot of them towards the end of the tournament which really helped the team," he said.
"It was the most remarkable moment for me because it was something that went wrong that resulted in a positive way for us," Lomans added.
He went on to recall how the untimely injury to Spain's Juan Escarre in the final aided the Netherlands in the summit clash. Lomans also described Teun de Nooijer's brilliant strategy, which led to his trophy-winning goal.
"We played so well in the semifinal against Australia to reach the final and we thought we were so close now. But Spain completely outplayed us for the most part in the final. They were so good," Lomans said.
"Spain's Juan Escarre, who was playing so well and was really toying with us, tore his hamstring, and that turned the game around. We got on level terms with two late goals and then the match went into extra time and it used to be the golden goal rule at that time. Teun de Nooijer saw that every time my flicks were being saved, the ball was just dropping in front of the goalkeeper. So, at one point, he just ran as I flicked, the goalkeeper saved and the ball landed right in front of Nooijer's stick and he struck it in. It worked out perfectly for us," he added.