With the first whistle of the match, Belgium started dominating the play with India at the 2014 Hockey World Cup. In doing so, the Belgian players scored their first goal, creating a good pressure on the Indian players, who also rank 8th in the world hockey ranking. Belgium (ranking 5th) continued their play and made sure they were attacking their opponents.
The second half started better for the Indians, as they started showing some skills on the ground. It payed off as Mandeep Singh shot a goal to equal the score 1-1. This gave the Indians confidence and their play on the field became more impressive. Thus, with their good coordination they were able to secure another in the net and the score became 1-2.
The final 20-25 minutes were the main play, where all the drama happened. Belgium came back strongly and nailed the score, 2-2. After that they created many opportunities but were unable to convert them into goals. India too lost a couple of opportunities, including one penalty corner.
The last 60 seconds were entertaining yet heart breaking for the Indians. With a very skillful and energetic play from Sardar Singh, the Indian captain leading from the front, the team was unable to keep the shot of Belgian, Johm-John Dohmen, out of the net. The last 10 seconds was the turning point, when the Belgian, Johm-John Dohmen scored a fantastic goal to make sure Belgium emerge as the winning team with 3 points on the board. India lost 3-2.
Image Courtesy - IBN
The Indian side can take a lot of positives from this match. They held Belgium quite well. The Indian players looked hungry to perform better to prove their worth and book their place. It is good to see team India performing well, hope the coming matches will go well for team India.
