FIH Pro League: India thrash Belgium by 5-1 enroute a brace from captain Harmanpreet Singh

In their second encounter with Belgium during the ongoing FIH Hockey Pro League, the Indian men’s hockey team put on an impressive performance, securing a commanding 5-1 victory at London’s Lee Valley Stadium. India’s captain, Harmanpreet Singh, found the back of the net twice (in the 20th and 30th minutes), while Vivek Sagar Prasad (2′), Amit Rohidas (29′), and Dilpreet Singh (60′) each added a goal, ensuring a triumphant response to their previous 1-2 loss against Belgium.

India began the game strongly, swiftly scoring a field goal in the second minute, courtesy of an excellent assist from Gurjant Singh on the left flank, which set up Vivek’s goal. Buoyed by their early success, India continued to apply pressure on the Belgian defense. A miscue by Belgium’s Emmanuel Stockbroekx, forced by newcomer Sanjay, led to India being awarded their first penalty corner (PC).

While unable to convert that opportunity, India capitalized in the 20th minute when Harmanpreet skillfully converted a well-executed injection by Abhishek, unleashing a powerful dragflick that found the bottom corner of the post.

In the 29th minute, Rajkumar Pal orchestrated an attacking move from the midfield, finding Mandeep Singh on the right flank. Opting not to take the shot himself, Mandeep surprised the opposition by passing to Amit Rohidas, who calmly struck the ball into the goal, extending India’s lead to 3-0.

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A minute later, India further extended their advantage to 4-0 by earning another penalty corner. Although Amit’s flick was blocked by the Belgian goalkeeper, Harmanpreet pounced on the rebound, effortlessly slotting the ball past Loic Van Doren.

With India comfortably ahead at halftime, Belgium sought to test their opponent’s penalty corner defense early in the third quarter, winning back-to-back PCs. However, India’s goalkeeper, Sreejesh, was in exceptional form and successfully preserved India’s lead.

After beating Belgium, Indian contingent awaits competition from England in next FIH Pro League match

In the subsequent quarter, Belgium finally managed to break through India’s defense as William Ghislan displayed remarkable skill by scoring a field goal in the 46th minute. Despite Belgium’s late comeback attempt, India remained undeterred and focused on maintaining their game plan.

Determined to finish on a high note, the Indian team stuck to their strategic structure and launched an impressive offensive in the closing minutes. This resulted in Dilpreet Singh finding the back of the net for India’s fifth goal in the 60th minute, securing their first victory in the away games of the FIH Hockey Pro League this season.