Indian men's team beats Belgium 4-3 to end losing streak
The Indian men's hockey team finally ended their losing streak in the European leg of the FIH Pro League, defeating Belgium 4-3 in a thrilling contest on Sunday. The victory marked India's first win in this phase of the tournament, putting an end to a seven-match losing run.
Tired of too many ads? go ad free now
Go Beyond The Boundary with our YouTube channel. SUBSCRIBE NOW!
With the score tied at 3-3 and just two minutes remaining on the clock, India asked for a referral after a strong challenge inside the Belgian circle. The decision went in India's favour, and
, calm under pressure, stepped up to convert the penalty stroke and seal the win.
Belgium struck first in the 8th minute through Arthur de Sloover, who fired a superb shot into the top right corner, giving the hosts a 1-0 lead at the end of the first quarter after a dominant start.
India hit back in the second quarter, as Sukhjeet Singh found the equaliser from a penalty corner — a powerful strike that levelled the scores. However, Belgium regained the lead early in the third quarter through Nicolas Stockbroekx, who capitalised on a breakaway opportunity.
India responded almost immediately. Just a minute after going behind, Sukhjeet netted again — this time from open play — to bring the score to 2-2.
Moments later, Amit Rohidas put India in front for the first time in the match, converting a penalty corner with a thunderous shot that hit the back of the net.
But Belgium weren't done yet. They equalised once more through Thibeau Labouchere, who scored his maiden international goal off a penalty corner to make it 3-3.
In a tense final few minutes, it was Harmanpreet Singh who ensured India had the last word, converting a late penalty stroke to clinch a long-awaited win.
Tired of too many ads? go ad free now
Earlier, both teams began with attacking intent. While Belgium looked to control possession and tempo as the match progressed, India grew into the game, linking passes effectively and creating consistent pressure on the hosts' defence.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
The Hindu
14 minutes ago
- The Hindu
ENG vs IND 1st Test: I try to forget quickly, says Bumrah on Indian dropped catches
In a parallel world, Jasprit Bumrah could have had more than the five wickets he ended up with in England's first innings here, and that too in double quick time. But a disastrous fielding display by his teammates – they dropped three catches off his bowling – and some rotten luck – he dismissed Harry Brook off a no-ball when on nought – ensured India was on the field for far longer than desired. But Bumrah was empathetic towards his fielders. 'You have to move forward,' he said on Sunday. 'I try to quickly forget. They [fielders] are also new [to England] and sometimes the ball is tough to sight. I don't want to be angry and kicking and putting more pressure.' ALSO READ | Bumrah fifer and Rahul's steady 47 helps India take 96-run lead at end of Day 3 Bumrah also stated that the wicket was still good to bat. 'There is a little bit of two-pace and the new ball might swing. But no demons. It's a fast scoring ground. So the more runs we get, the better.' By his own admission, the 31-year-old is not looking to play more than three Tests this series for better management of his workload. But the potential limited participation doesn't affect his thinking and preparation, he said. 'You don't look at what is going to happen. At this moment, I am trying to assess the wicket, and the batter. I am not thinking about how many games I am going to play.' The constant chatter about his career ending because of injuries also doesn't bother him. 'It was once said that I can't play cricket at all. Then it became six months, eight months. But it's been more than 10 years now in internationals and 12 to 13 years of IPL. Still people are saying 'I will go'. People can keep saying, but I am going nowhere. I will keep playing until god allows me to and try taking Indian cricket forward.'
Time of India
an hour ago
- Time of India
RP Singh is president, Abhijit Sarkar Sr VP of UP Hockey
1 2 3 Lucknow:Former Indian captain RP Singh has been unanimously elected president of UP Hockey in the elections held during the Annual General Meeting (AGM) of the association at the KD Singh 'Babu' Stadium on Sunday. Abhijit Sarkar has been named senior vice-president, while Rajnish Mishra and Nisha Mishra were elected secretary and treasurer, respectively. Animesh Saxena (RSO) acted as an observer, with HI vice-president Nitin Kohli and general secretary of the Uttar Pradesh Olympic Association Anandeshwar Pandey in attendance. Nitesh bags three golds Nitesh Kumar bagged three gold medals at the Asian Para Badminton Championship in Thailand, as the Indian contingent claimed a rich haul of 27 medals, including four gold, 10 silver, and 13 bronze. Nitesh won the men's singles gold in the SL3 category before clinching the yellow metal in mixed doubles and men's doubles, partnering with T. Murgesan and Sukant Kadam, respectively. Manisha Ramadas claimed the women's singles title in the SU5 category, while Palak Kohli and Mandeep Kaur settled for silver in the women's singles SL4 and SL3 categories, respectively.
Hindustan Times
an hour ago
- Hindustan Times
Gout Gout says 100m 'too short' for him
Australian teenage sprint sensation Gout Gout said Sunday he preferred 200 metres to 100 metres which is "too short" as he was bracing for his first-ever start in Europe. HT Image The 17-year-old won the Australian Athletic Championships in April clocking 19.84 seconds on 200 metres and 9.99 seconds on 100 metres, though both with a tailwind above the limit. He is getting ready to run 200 metres at the Golden Spike meet in the eastern Czech city of Ostrava on Tuesday in his European premiere. "I definitely like 200 more than 100 because 100 is a bit too short for me," Gout told reporters. "You get the start and then you're already at the finish line." "I really like getting out and getting to my top speed and keep holding it to the finish line. So 200 is great and I love it," said Gout, who was born in Australia after his parents migrated from South Sudan. He rose to prominence last December when he clocked the quickest 200m time ever by a 16-year-old of 20.04 sec, bettering Usain Bolt's personal best at the same age. The lanky Gout relished being likened to Bolt whom he called "the epitome of sprinting". "If I could be on that level and just put my little bit of style onto it. So try to be like him but also bring my little personality with me." "Just to know that I may be on the same trajectory and just being compared to the best sprinter of all time is... definitely something I appreciate," he added. After the Australian championships, Gout focused on training rather than competing. "We did a lot of work... on my starts and just to get stronger overall for the Europe season," he said. "I'm just building up my strength and just really trying to get in the gym and get to the next level for sure," Gout added. "I'm excited to run again after a long time." After Ostrava, Gout will compete at the Diamond League in Monaco on July 11 with eyes on the world championships in Tokyo in September. "Obviously the world championships is the main goal and I just want to see what I can do on the world stage against professional athletes," Gout said. "I just want to get out there and kind of prove myself." frj/pb
