India went down fighting to Belgium 1-2 in a thrilling final match of the first leg of the Four Nations Invitational tournament at the Blake Park in Tauranga on Saturday.
Tom Boon (4th minute) and Sebastien Dockier (36th) found the target for Belgium while Mandeep Singh (19th) was India's lone goal scorer.
Belgium were quick to get off the block as they won a penalty corner within three minutes of the game but Loick Luypaert's drag flick was superbly rendered ineffective by India's first runner Chinglensana Kangujam.
Almost immediately, India had a great opportunity to score as a dribbling Dilpreet Singh made a beautiful turn at the top of the circle to dodge a Belgian defender. He then sliced the ball across to Lalit Upadhyay who had positioned himself in front of the post but sadly he could not get a nudge on the ball.
Belgium, meanwhile, mounted pressure on India with a goal through Boon in the fourth minute. With three seconds to go for the first hooter, India won a penalty corner but Rupinder Pal Singh's fierce hit to the right bottom of the post was saved by a Belgian defender at the baseline.
India overcame a slow start in the second quarter as they gained momentum, creating potential circle penetrations. In the 19th minute defender Rupinder Pal Singh intercepted a Belgian long pass to find Manpreet in the midfield who then sliced the ball into the center of the circle.
Mandeep Singh was quick to react, beating goalkeeper Vincent Vanasch to push the ball into the post fetching India the equaliser.
The next few minutes saw India work hard to keep the ball but a structured Belgian defence was tough to break.
Meanwhile, Sreejesh made an excellent save in the 21st minute when Thomas Briels took a shot on goal, ensuring both teams went into the half-time break in a stalemate.
It was advantage Belgium as they scored at the start of the third quarter when Gauthier Boccard used a powerful reverse hit from the top of the striking circle. Sreejesh made a fine save but Sebastien Dockier was quick to pick up the rebound as he found a gap and smashed the ball past the India goalkeeper.
Though Belgium won three back-to-back penalty corners towards the end of the third quarter, Manpreet Singh was unrelenting as the first runner to ensure no goal was scored.
India bounced back in the final quarter, increasing their attack, finding gaps in the 15 yard mark putting pressure on the Belgian defence. But their experienced goalkeeper Vincent Vanasch made some important saves to keep India at bay.
Last five minutes saw India's chief coach Sjoerd Marijne pull out their goalkeeper to add an extra man to their attack.
The effort worked with India winning a penalty corner in the dying minutes of the match but Harmanpreet's attempt was well defended by the Belgians.
We were much better than our previous match against Belgium. Our young players are making good progress against a world class team like Belgium which we will benefit from in the future. For now though, even a draw would have been a better result but the Belgium goalkeeper did some good work and made crucial saves.Sjoerd Marijne
On 24 January, India will take on hosts New Zealand in the first match of the second leg of the Four Nations Invitational tournament in Hamilton.
(We Indians have much to talk about these days. But what would you tell India if you had the chance? Pick up the phone and write or record your Letter To India. Don’t be silent, tell her how you feel. Mail us your letter at lettertoindia@thequint.com. We’ll make sure India gets your message.)
(At The Quint, we are answerable only to our audience. Play an active role in shaping our journalism by becoming a member. Because the truth is worth it.)