Belgium defeated India 5-2 to progress to the men’s hockey finals and will face Australia on August 5th to determine the winner of the gold medal. The match was an evenly fought affair, and the Belgians fought till the end of the game to earn the victory over India.
India registered an early setback with Loick Luypaert scoring in the opening minutes. However, goals from Harmandeep and Mandeep Singh helped India not only recover from the deficit, but go ahead by the same margin in the very first quarter. The second quarter saw Belgium equalise as Alexander Hendrickx score from a penalty corner to make it 2-2.
The third quarter ended with both teams at a deadlock, still tied 2-2 on the scoreline. And the last quarter saw Belgium come out on top thanks to a relentless attacking performance. Hendrickx scored his second goal of the game with over 10 minutes remaining to give Belgium the advantage.
He then completed his hat trick from a penalty and pushed Belgium up 4-2. The game was done and dusted by that time, and Belgium scored the last goal by netting into an open goal since the goalkeeper was taken off to make room for an extra man outfield.
India made an impressive turnaround since their 7-1 defeat to Australia, and made it to the semifinals for the first time in 41 years. They will now have their eyes set on the bronze medal, and will play Germany on August 5th.
