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The business end of the 2018 Men's Hockey World Cup carried on as the third quarter final of the competition saw two European heavyweights clash as Germany took to the turf against the Belgium side.
Germany entered the quarterfinals after topping the Pool D consisting of fellow European rivals Netherlands and Asian counterparts Pakistan and Malaysia.
The Germans beat all the sides in the group which was deemed to be the 'Group of Death' at the 2018 Men's Hockey World Cup.
Belgium, pooled along with the hosts India, Canada and South Africa reached the quarter final through the crossover route after finishing second behind India in the Pool C after having the inferior goal difference as compared to India.
They faced four-time champions Pakistan in their crossover fixture and thrashed the Asian side 5-0 to set up the clash against Germany.
The Germans began the match on a strong note attacking in full force and kept the Belgian defensive wall on their toes in the initial minutes of the match.
Germany was rewarded for their persistence towards the end of the first quarter when a quick move on the right wing placed Dieter Linnekogel free inside the circle with an open shot at the goal.
He was on target with his hit scoring past the Vincent Vanasch in the Belgian goal to make it 1-0.
The Belgians hit back just three minutes later in the second quarter as Alexander Hendrickx slotted in his fifth penalty corner attempt to beat the resilient Tobias Walter in the German goal.
A 50th minute goal from star striker Tom Boon was the decider on the evening as the Belgians resisted the German attacks and reached their first ever semifinal of the Men's World Cup.
They will take on England in the first semifinal of the competition on 15th December 2018.
#1 Germany had early control over the game
The German side started off on a strong note dominating the play in the early exchanges of the match.
They utilised their wingers well making good moves into the final circle of the Belgian defence and had them troubled for a while.
They got their goal when a smart cross from the right wing reached Dieter Linnekogel with a clear shot at the goal from roughly the penalty stroke spot.
Linnekogel was on target and gave the German side the lead towards the end of the first quarter.
However, things were up for a change as Belgium earned a flurry of penalty corners that were kept away by the German keeper Tobias Walter as the first quarter ended 1-0 in favour of the Germans.
#2 Belgium were wasteful with their penalty corners but Hendrickx scored one to level things up
After the Germans looked strong in the first quarter and had taken the lead, the Belgium side finally got their act together and played with more organization and intent.
Towards the end of the quarter, they earned four straight penalty corners but were not able to make their chances count as the German defence kept them at bay with quick first rushers and the stubborn Tobias Walter in the goal.
However, it didn't last long as the Belgians finally breached the German goal in the 18th minute.
Belgium's top scorer Alexander Hendrickx added another goal to his tally with a well-taken low drag flick that beat Walter and leveled things on the scoreboard.
The Belgians were the better side in the first half of the match recovering well after the initial German onslaught.
#3 The two goalkeepers Tobias Walter and Vincent Vanasch were in top form
The two sides were highly attacking in their approach throughout the match and it was neck-to-neck all the way in the four quarters.
Two players who were responsible for keeping the contest highly intriguing were the goalkeepers on both the sides - Tobias Walter for the Germans and Vincent Vanasch for Belgium.
Tobias Walter was constantly called into action by the Belgian side through multiple penalty corners earned by them in the first two quarters. Walter was brave and kept the attacks at bay producing many saves and keeping the goal in tact.
He ended up conceding in the second quarter after a low drag flick by the Belgian defender Alexander Hendrickx and the eventual winner by Tom Boon in a scrappy goalmouth scramble.
The Belgian keeper Vincent Vanasch was fortunate not to face any penalty corners as the Germans were not able to win any throughout the duration of their match.
However, they kept attacking the Belgian goal from open play and were testing Vanasch with their strong shots from all the sides.
Check out the 2018 Hockey World Cup schedule for the upcoming matches here.
