India, Aug. 24 -- As the final hooter sounded, Savita Punia fidgeted with an advertisement board. Head bowed, holding back the tears. Nearby, her teammates did much less to hide their emotions as India's commendable run at the Women's Hockey World Cup notwithstanding, their semifinal hopes ended.

There was never any need for guesswork going into the match as Netherlands had taken care of all permutations and combinations. Hours earlier, three-time defending champions Netherlands scored a solid 4-1 win over China, reducing the Asian giants' goal difference to -3. That result essentially meant the India-Australia match in Amstelveen was a virtual quarter-final.

Both teams were locked on the same -2 goal difference, but Australia had score...