India lose to Belgium in Champions Trophy
London, June 13: Indian goalkeeper P.R. Sreejesh put up a disappointing performance as they lost to Belgium 1-2 in a round-robin game of the Hockey Champions Trophy Belgium at the Lee Valley Hockey Centre here on Monday.
Belgian players — Alexander Hendrickx (25th minute) and Jerome Truyens (44th minute) — both scored through captain Sreejesh’s legs. Devindar Walmiki scored the lone Indian goal in the 30th minute.
With this loss, India dropped to the third spot in the points table with four points from three games. Britain, who earlier in the day thumped South Korea 4-1, also have four points but are ahead on goal difference.
Belgium rose to the fifth spot with the win, while South Korea (three points) and Germany (two points) are fifth and sixth respectively.
India will face South Korea on Tuesday. In other matches, Australia meet Belgium, while Germany will be up against the hosts.
At the start of the match between India and Belgium, the latter looked mecing from the push-back and in the first quarter they got a pelty corner but the Indian defence maged to keep it away.
The European outfit continued to push ahead the Indian failed to muster up serious attacks initially. Meanwhile, midfielder Simon Gougrd put himself in a strong position to tap in a pass from Thomas Briels but he fired over, much to the relief of the Indian camp.
Later in the second half, a soft push from saw goalkeeper P.R. Sreejesh going forward but missed the ball before Kothajit Singh came to India’s rescue with a fine save near the goal-line.
Belgium got another pelty corner in the 19th minute but Sreejesh did well to stop the flick from Hendrickx.
However, Belgium scored in their fourth pelty corner in the 25th minute as Hendrickx’s hit went through the legs of Sreejesh in a big error from the Indian custodian.
India equalised five minutes later when Devindar swept home after a half-hearted clearance from goalkeeper Vincent Vasch fell in front of the Indian midfielder, who launched a powerful shot to the right side of the roof.
After the break, the first minutes saw India earning two pelty corners but V.R. Raghuth’s hits were not up to mark. While the first one was slow and got cleared at the goal-line by Florent van Aubel, the second one was palmed away by goalkeeper Vasch. Belgium also got a pelty corner but India denied them with the first runner.
Both the teams tried hard to take the lead and it was the Belgians who regained the lead in the 44th minute in another mistake from Sreejesh. Gougrd’s pass from the right corner was met at the near post by veteran Truyens, whose drive went through the legs of captain Sreejesh, resulting in a 2-1 lead for Belgium.
Afterwards, Gougrd continued to domite the right side of the midfield as he once helped Tanguy Cosyns earn a pelty corner but Hendrickx’s flick went wide. Gougrd crossed for Sebastian Dockier but the latter, with only goalkeeper Sreejesh to beat, fired it over.
In the first match of the day, Britain delighted the home crowd by scoring a goal in each quarter to overpower South Korea 4-1.
Ashley Jackson opened the scoring for the home side with a clinically dispatched pelty stroke after South Korea goalkeeper Hong Doopyo brought down rival captain Barry Middleton, before David Condon scored the first of two goals when he dived in to finish a wonderful team move.
You Seungju pulled a goal back for South Korea when he fired into the roof of the net from a smart pelty corner routine to make the score 1-2 going into half time. But strikes from Alastair Brogdon and a second for Condon sealed a deserved triumph for the well-supported Brits.
In the second match, world champions Australia bounced back from a two-goal deficit to defeat Olympic champions and Champions Trophy holders Germany 4-3.
Goals from Germany captain Florian Fuchs and Tobias Hauke put them into a commanding lead at the end of the first quarter. But the Australians hit back in the second quarter thanks to strikes from Glenn Turner and Tristan White before Fuchs struck again to give Germany a 3-2 lead at half time.
Blake Govers restored parity with a blistering third quarter pelty corner, with Aran Zelewski scoring the winner seven minutes from full time. IANS