FIH Pro League: Belgium Beat India 4-1; Jarmanpreet Singh Marks 100th Cap

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Antwerp, May 24: The Indian Men's Hockey Team on Friday (May 24) suffered a 1-4 defeat against Belgium in their second match of the European leg of the FIH Hockey Pro League 2023/24.

Abhishek (55') scored the lone goal for Team India, while for Belgium, Felix Denayer (22'), Alexander Hendrickx (34', 60') and Cedric Charlier (49') were on target.

Belgium appeared more threatening in the early stages, but the Indian defence held firm, absorbing the pressure. As the quarter progressed, India began to press forward, creating a few opportunities from the right, but the first quarter ended in a 0-0 stalemate.

Both teams started the second quarter strongly, and India earned a penalty corner within the first three minutes, though Harmanpreet's attempt was blocked by the Belgian goalkeeper. Eight minutes later, Felix Denayer (22') scored to give Belgium a 1-0 lead. India continued to attack but couldn't level the score before halftime.

India came out aggressively in the second half, but Belgium's defence remained resilient. In a tightly contested third quarter, Belgium extended their lead to 2-0 through Alexander Hendrickx (34'), who converted a penalty corner. By the end of the third quarter, Belgium led 2-0.

The intense third quarter featured significant action from both sides, but Belgium managed to double their lead through Alexander Hendrickx (34'), who successfully converted a penalty corner. By the end of the third quarter, Belgium was ahead 2-0 against India.

With 15 minutes remaining, India began to play with increased urgency. However, Belgium extended their lead to 3-0 thanks to a well-executed field goal by Cedric Charlier (49'). Five minutes before the end, Abhishek (55') scored for India. In the final moments of the match, Belgium secured a penalty stroke, which Alexander Hendrickx (60') converted, leading to a final score of 4-1 in Belgium's favour.

Notably, Jarmanpreet Singh reached the milestone of 100 international caps during this match against Belgium.

The Harmanpreet Singh-led side started their campaign in Europe with an emphatic victory against Argentina in the shootouts after the match ended 2-2 in regulation time.