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The Indian Men's Hockey Team succumbed to a 2-7 defeat against Belgium in their second match of the 5 Nations Hockey Tournament 2023.
The former side's starting lineup included PR Sreejesh, Jarmanpreet Singh, Varun Kumar, Amit Rohidas, Sumit, Nilakanta Sharma, Vivek Sagar Prasad, Shamsher Singh, Abhishek, Sukhjeet Singh, and Lalit Kumar Upadhyay.
Belgium were off to a flying start, leading the game 3-0 at the end of the first quarter.
Cedric Charlier (1’), Alexander Hendrickx (10’) and Thibeau Stockbroekx (13’) were the goalscorers for the Red Lions in the first quarter.
Thibeau Stockbroekx found the back of the net in the 16th minute to extend Belgium's lead. However, Abhishek scored a field goal in the 18th minute to keep India's hopes alive.
Tom Boon scored a goal in the 26th minute for the Red Lions, while Jugraj Singh (27') came off the bench and converted a penalty corner for India.
Belgium were leading the game 5-2 at half-time. With no goals scored in the third quarter, India were on the back foot, trailing by three goals, with time running out.
Tom Boon (46’) and Alexander Hendrickx (53’) scored a goal each in the final quarter to hand Belgium a comprehensive 7-2 victory over the Asian Games gold medalist.
The Indian team wasn't at the top of their game as they failed to convert several penalty corners throughout the game. They have two losses in as many games and sit at the bottom of the 5 Nations Hockey Tournament 2023 points table.
Indian Men's Hockey Team's upcoming fixtures in 5 Nations Hockey Tournament 2023
The Indian Men's Hockey Team will play their next match against Germany on Tuesday, December 19, at 3:30 pm IST.
The Men in Blue will square off against France in their final match of the 5 Nations Hockey Tournament on Wednesday, December 20, at 3:30 pm IST.
Both matches will be played in Valencia, Spain.
