The Indian men's hockey team concluded their FIH Pro League 2024-25 campaign with a hard-fought 4-3 victory against the host nation, Belgium, at the Sportcentrum Wilrijkse Plein in Antwerp on Sunday, June 22, 2025. This win marked the end of India's longest-ever losing streak in men's hockey, which had reached seven defeats. Their previous worst run was during the London 2012 Olympics, where they suffered six consecutive losses.
The goal scorers for world No. 8 India were Sukhjeet Singh, who netted two goals in the 21st and 35th minutes, Amit Rohidas, who scored in the 36th minute, and Harmanpreet Singh, who sealed the victory with a goal in the 59th minute. For Belgium, ranked third in the FIH standings, the goals came from Arthur de Sloover in the 8th minute, Thibeau Stockbroekx in the 34th minute, and Hugo Labouchere in the 41st minute. Notably, Sukhjeet and Dilpreet Singh achieved the milestone of playing their 100th international matches for India in this game.
Belgium started the match strongly, applying high pressure to catch the Indian defenders off guard. Their strategy paid off early when Arthur de Sloover scored a brilliant opening goal, firing into the top right corner of the net. India's first significant chance came in the 20th minute when they earned their first penalty corner. Skipper Harmanpreet Singh, returning after an injury, saw his powerful flick from Hardik's injection well-blocked, leading to a swift counter-attack by Belgium. However, Indian goalkeeper Pathak made a crucial save to prevent Belgium from extending their lead to 2-0. Just a minute later, India converted a sensational penalty corner with a clever variation, as Sukhjeet stepped up to deflect Harmanpreet's flick into the post with precision, beating the Belgian goalkeeper. Towards the end of the second quarter, Abhishek came close to scoring a spectacular goal but missed by a narrow margin.
Belgium struck early in the third quarter through Thibeau Stockbroekx in the 34th minute. However, India responded almost immediately, with Sukhjeet scoring his second goal of the match. Abhishek, positioned just outside the top of the circle, provided the assist. Although Abhishek initially fumbled the ball, Sukhjeet efficiently picked it up and smashed it into the goal. A minute later, Amit Rohidas put India in the lead at 3-2, scoring from a penalty corner in the 36th minute. Belgium then earned a penalty corner and capitalized on it, with Hugo Labouchere scoring his maiden international goal to level the score at 3-3. Seconds later, India found the back of the net after a scramble inside the 'D', with Shamsher Singh eventually putting the ball in after a couple of attempts. However, Belgium immediately requested a video referral, which resulted in the goal being disallowed.
In the final quarter, India started with a penalty corner that narrowly missed the target, keeping the score at 3-3. With only minutes remaining in the game, India requested a video referral which led to them being awarded a penalty stroke. Harmanpreet Singh stepped up and calmly converted the penalty, putting India ahead 4-3. This last-minute goal secured a victory for India, ending their FIH Pro League campaign with 18 points.