The Indian men's hockey team began their new FIH Pro League season on a 1-3 losing note against Belgium at Rourkela's Birsa Munda Stadium on Wednesday.
Nelson Onana, Thomas Crols and Arno Van Dessel scored the goals for Belgium while Shilanand Lakra netted one for India.
Playing under lights in a packed stadium, India started slowly as Belgium dominated the ball. After a goalless opening quarter with both teams creating not many chances, Belgium went ahead in the 23rd minute after a poor giveaway from India captain Harmanpreet Singh. Onana got the final pass and with just the goalkeeper to beat, he came up with a superb finish.
India levelled after five minutes -- Shilanand Lakra earned a PC for his team and then scored from a penalty corner rebound. He was the best player in the India shirt as he was impactful with the ball and relentless with his work rate.
No goals came in the third quarter even though both teams had a few chances. In the final 15 minutes, Belgium's superior attacking quality proved to be the difference. Their persistence paid off in the 53rd minute with Roman Duvekot, under pressure, picked the right pass to Crols who unleashed a powerful shot to beat Suraj Karkera on the far post.
Four minutes later, Belgium made it 3-1 with Van Dessel brilliantly converting from a close range, beating the goalkeeper through the legs after receiving the pass from Crols.
The win makes it five out of six for Belgium who go top of the table of the Pro League. Meanwhile, India head coach Craig Fulton will seek big improvements in all the departments when they face Argentina on Thursday.
You can catch the match highlights on our blog below:
