FIH Pro League: India go down 1-3 against Belgium, in a match where they defended well for more than three quarters but ran out of steam

Till 53 minutes, the match was level with Belgium taking a lead through Nelson Onana (23′) while Shilanand Lakra (29′) equalised for India just before half time. But late goals from Thomas Crols (53′) and Arno Van Dessel (57′) gave Belgium all three points.

After a lot of huffing and puffing, the opening goal came from one of India’s several careless turnovers and the guilty party was Harmanpreet Singh. The captain, usually metronomic with his passing from the back, mishit one in midfield right onto Tom Boon’s stick. Belgium created a 3-vs-2 overload and the ball found Onana down the right flank to beat Pawan with a shot across goal.

Soon after, Abhishek and Sukhjeet Singh, who combine quite well when they are on the pitch together for India or Bengal Tigers in the Hockey India League, nearly got the leveller. The former played a sensational inside-out aerial from the left flank and the ball-control was perfect from Sukhjeet, but the shot on goal was wide. But it gave India a window into breaking through Belgium’s defensive lines.

The hosts increased the pressure on the Belgian defence after another aerial into the circle caused chaos. And against the run of play, the crowd was stirred into life by Lakra’s finish on the turn, reacting quickest to a rebound from Amit Rohidas’s low hit on goal.

The first half stats told a tale: Belgium outnumbered India 17-3 in circle entries. It eventually finished a bit more respectable 29-13 but India simply didn’t pose enough of an attacking threat on the night.

That Belgium’s second goal came just moments after perhaps India’s best passing move of the night would sting Fulton. Boon was dispossessed by Lakra, who evaded a couple of defenders and released Nilakanta Sharma down the right. The midfielder’s pass to Karthi Selvam was well timed, but just as the forward was about to take a shot on goal, a Belgian tackle thwarted him.

Perhaps woken up by that threat, Belgium struck through a rasping forehand hit from Crols from the left channel that left Pawan with no time to react. Crols was involved in the third goal shortly after as well, playing a pass back into Dessel’s run from the edge of the baseline – just about legally as the umpires deemed it to be – and the former touched it past Pawan. The resolve shown for more than 50 minutes, with plenty of late saves and crunch tackles, came undone in the final spell.