The Indian men’s hockey team has now gone two consecutive seasons without victory in the FIH Men’s Pro League having lost 4-2 to Belgium in a game that saw the opposition dominate from start to finish at Birsa Munda Hockey Stadium in Rourkela on Saturday afternoon.
India Falls 4–2 to Belgium in FIH Pro League Clash
Their performance in the match was characterised by a series of early set-piece goals, which put India on the back foot before they had a chance to establish an attacking rhythm.
India did well defensively and began to create good goal-scoring opportunities after halftime, but only managed to get two goals courtesy of Aditya Lalage (24th minute) and Harmanpreet Singh (37th minute), both goals were their first in this season’s Pro League competition.
Although these goals raised hopes for an Indian comeback, Belgium’s strong defense and impressive saves by their goalkeeper were enough to ensure they maintained their advantage.
Losing streak for India
This loss today, in the Rourkela leg of the FIH Pro League, is India’s third consecutive defeat. On Monday, in their first match against Belgium, India lost 3–1, followed by an 8–0 loss to Argentina, further demonstrating the inconsistency of their performances.
India is still looking for its first point in the league and is currently at the bottom of the Pro League standings, while Belgium continues to assert their dominance and remain perched atop the Pro League standings.
Standouts and match stats
- Alexander Hendrickx of Belgium had the two goals from penalty corners and was considered Belgium’s man of the match by many observers.
- Hugo Labouchere and Arthur de Sloover also added to the early barrage of goals scored by Belgium.
- Lalage and Harmanpreet Singh both scored for India; however, these two goals were not enough to prevent the team from being shut out again as a result of Belgium’s well-organized defense.
During the second half of play, India played much better on defense and did not allow the Belgians to score; however, their offensive pressure was unable to break through the well-organized Belgium defense.
Read also
Looking Ahead
They will have one last opportunity to break their losing streak when they play against Argentina at Rourkela in the final match of the Rourkela leg of their season on Sunday. This match would give them the chance to earn their first result in the Pro League this season.
