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The second day of the Five-Nations Hockey tournament will witness the Indian men's team take on Olympic champions Belgium.
A lone goal scored by Alvaro Iglesias enabled hosts Spain to beat India by a 1-0 margin on the opening day of the competition. The Belgians, currently placed second in the FIH rankings, are the highest-ranked team in the Five-Nations Hockey competition followed by the Indians, who are ranked third.
If the rankings and the recent history are anything to go by, a pulsating contest awaits in Valencia. A 29th-minute goal by Alvaro Iglesias gave Spain the lead a minute before the long breather. Despite earning two penalty corners in the final quarter, the Men in Blue were unable to restore parity and will now be keen to register a win in their second match against the Belgians.
The Indians played a couple of close matches against Belgium in the FIH Pro League last year, holding the 2018 World Cup champions to a 3-3 draw before going down 2-3 in the second leg. An agonizing 2-5 defeat to Belgium in the semifinals of the Tokyo Olympics a couple of years back underlined the dominance that the Red Lions have exerted over the Indians on the big stage.
The Belgians have also proven to be a lot more consistent than India ever since winning the silver medal in Rio 2016, but can an aging side continue to sustain the momentum on the world stage?
Belgium continue to rely on aging stalwarts even as colts fail to make it to quarterfinals at 2023 FIH Junior World Cup
At the Hockey World Cup and the FIH Pro League tournaments which preceded the FIve-Nations Hockey event, the Indians blooded in fresh talent, while Belgium continued to rely on their stalwarts.
Rio Olympic veterans such as Arthur van Doren, John-John Dohmen, Florent van Aubel, Sebastien Dockier, Cedric Charlier, Simon Gougnard, Loick Luypaert, and Gauthier Boccard, were part of the Belgian squad at the 2023 World Cup.
Harmanpeet Singh and Manpreet Singh are the only two players from the Rio squad who continue to represent India along with goalkeeper PR Sreejesh. Dohmen, Van Aubel, Charlier, Felix Denayer, Tom Boon, Gougnard and Tanguy Cosyns are either 32 or above.
In stark contrast, Lalit Upadhyay, one of the oldest players in the Indian setup is just 30 while Manpreet Singh is 31. The Indian juniors will play Spain in the bronze-medal match of the FIH Junior World Cup on December 16.
The Belgian colts finished a disappointing ninth in the ongoing Junior World Cup which raises doubts about whether the European powerhouse can sustain their dominant run once the stalwarts retire from international hockey.
Five-Nations Hockey - Where to Watch?
Unfortunately, the Five-Nations Hockey tournament will not be telecast or live-streamed for viewers in India. The match begins at 8:00 pm IST.
