India suffer 1-3 defeat against Belgium in FIH Men's Pro League

The Indian men's hockey team suffered a late collapse in their FIH Pro League match against Belgium on February 11, conceding two goals in the final quarter to lose 1–3 in Rourkela. After a tightly contested match where the scores were level at 1–1 for the majority of play, the Belgian side pulled away in the closing minutes. Goals from Thomas Crols in the 53rd minute and Arno Van Dessel in the 57th sealed the victory for the visitors, following earlier goal from Nelson Onana. Meanwhile, Shilanand Lakra was the sole goal scorer for India.

Belgium beat India in FIH Pro League 

The match began with an intensely defensive first quarter, as both teams displayed remarkable discipline at the back. Belgium pushed for an early lead, earning a penalty corner in just the 4th minute, but India’s Vivek Sagar Prasad made a heroic stop as the first rusher to deny Alexander Hendrickx. India responded with their own penalty corner four minutes later, but they were unable to convert the opportunity into a lead.

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As the first half progressed, Belgium maintained superior possession, though India remained dangerous by launching swift counter-attacks. Despite the pressure, the Indian defense held firm for much of the opening period. A significant scare came in the 14th minute when Belgium was awarded another penalty corner, but Tom Boon’s powerful strike whistled just wide of the post, leaving the teams deadlocked at the end of the first quarter.

India lose early advantage

The match intensified during the second quarter as both sides found more space to operate. Belgium appeared poised to take the lead with a penalty corner in the 21st minute, but Indian goalkeeper Pawan produced a stunning acrobatic save to deny Alexander Hendrickx. Pawan remained the hero moments later, charging out to block a goal-bound effort from Thomas Crols. However, the deadlock was finally broken in the 23rd minute when Belgium intercepted a pass in a dangerous area, allowing Crols to set up Nelson Onana for a clinical finish.

India responded with increased offensive pressure, leading to an equalizer just before the halftime whistle. In the 29th minute, the hosts earned a penalty corner; while Amit Rohidas's initial strike was blocked by the first rusher, Shilanand Lakra reacted quickest to the rebound, pouncing on the loose ball and slotting it home to make it 1-1.

The third quarter saw Belgium dominate possession, yet India’s backline remained remarkably composed. A pivotal moment occurred in the 38th minute when Belgium earned another penalty corner. Alexander Hendrickx seemed destined to score, but Jarmanpreet Singh demonstrated incredible reflexes on the goal line to clear the ball, keeping the scores level and frustrating the Belgian attack.

The final quarter was defined by a rapid exchange of momentum. India nearly took the lead in the 53rd minute when Nilakanta Sharma found Karthi Selvam with a brilliant pass, but the Belgian defense recovered just in time to prevent a shot. Belgium immediately counter-attacked, with Lucas Balthazar driving to the baseline and cutting a perfect pass back to Thomas Crols, who fired a low shot into the corner to regain the lead. Belgium then sealed the 3-1 victory in the 57th minute as Crols turned playmaker again, setting up Arno Van Dessel for the final goal of the match.