Indian Hockey Team Suffer Seventh Straight Loss After 3-6 Defeat to Belgium

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Indian Hockey Team: India's woes in the European leg of the FIH Pro League continued as they slumped to a 3-6 defeat at the hands of Belgium in their penultimate fixture on Saturday, June 21, in Antwerp.

The result marked their seventh consecutive loss in the tournament and further dented their chances of securing a direct qualification spot for the 2026 Hockey World Cup.

World No. 3 Belgium struck early and took charge almost immediately, with veteran defender Arthur van Doren converting a penalty corner in the opening minute. India managed to hold off further damage for a while, but Alexander Hendrickx doubled Belgium's lead with another penalty corner conversion in the 28th minute, sending India into halftime trailing 0-2.

India mounted a comeback in the third quarter, showing some much-needed urgency. Dilpreet Singh opened India's account in the 36th minute off a penalty corner, and just two minutes later, Mandeep Singh levelled the scores with a fine field goal, sparking hopes of a turnaround.

However, the final quarter proved disastrous for the Indian defence. Belgium capitalised on defensive lapses and quickly regained control. Roman Duvekot, Thibeau Stockbroekx, and van Doren added three field goals in quick succession to put the game beyond India's reach, extending the lead to 5-2.

India managed to claw one goal back through defender Amit Rohidas, who converted a penalty corner in the 56th minute. But Belgium responded almost immediately, with Tom Boon finding the net in the 59th minute to seal the match 6-3.

Despite creating more penalty corner opportunities-nine compared to Belgium's six-India struggled with execution and composure in critical moments. With this latest defeat, India sits eighth in the nine-team standings with 15 points, having secured only five wins and suffered 10 losses.

The men in blue have already been beaten in this leg by the Netherlands, Argentina, and Australia, and their final outing in the European phase will be a rematch against Belgium on Sunday, June 21. A win in the closing game would be more about salvaging pride than impacting their dwindling tournament prospects.