Valencia, 16th December – The Indian men’s hockey team suffered a significant defeat against the Olympic champions Belgium, with a final score of 2-7 in their second match of the 5 Nations Tournament in Valencia, Spain on Saturday.
The game witnessed Belgium’s dominance from the onset, with three quick goals in the first quarter. Cedric Charlier (1’), Alexander Hendrickx (10’), and Thibeau Stockbroekx (13’) put India at an early disadvantage. Belgium continued to assert their dominance with another goal from Thibeau Stockbroekx (16’) in the second quarter.
India managed to secure a field goal from Abhishek (18’), but Tom Boon (26’) quickly responded with another goal for Belgium, leaving India trailing 1-5. Just before halftime, Jugraj Singh (27’) scored a penalty corner for India, bringing the score to 2-5 in favor of Belgium.
The third quarter remained goalless, as both teams vied for control. However, Belgium continued their dominance in the final quarter, with Boon (46’) and Hendrickx (53’) scoring two more goals.
Despite being awarded two penalty corners in the final quarter, the Indian team was unable to convert them, resulting in a 2-7 loss.
India’s next challenge will be against Germany on December 19. This report has been generated by PTI news service. ThePrint bears no responsibility for the content.