Belgium edge out India in four-nation final
TAURANGA,NEWZEALAND: 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 here.
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 blocks 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. It was in the 19th minute when defender Rupinder Pal Singh intercepted a Belgian long pass to find Man- preet 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. 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.
PNB WIN HOCKEY TITLE
IMPHAL: Punjab National Bank (PNB) defeated Canara Bank 2-0 in the final to win the eighth Hockey India (HI) Senior Men’s National Championship 2018 (Division B). In another match, Central Secretariat outclassed Bengaluru Hockey Association (BHA) 10-1 to finish third.
The final match saw both teams keeping it tight at the back which meant that it was tough for the forwards to find a goal in the first two quarters. The scores remained 0-0 at the half-time.