Striker S.V Sunil and a Belgium defender vie for the ball in their Champions Trophy round-robin match in London on Monday. Belgium won 2-1. (Photo: FIH)
Striker S.V Sunil and a Belgium defender vie for the ball in their Champions Trophy round-robin match in London on Monday. Belgium won 2-1. (Photo: FIH)
Belgium brought India’s unbeaten run to an end, with a hard-fought 2-1 win in a round-robin league match of the 36th Hero Champions Trophy hockey tournament at the Lee Valley Centre here on Monday.
After a fast-paced two quarters, the Red Lions caught India off guard with a flurry of attacks.
Belgium’s lead in the 25th minute — Alexander Hendrickx converting a penalty corner conversion — was nullified by Devindar Walmiki’s brilliant top of the circle strike.
After the change of ends, Belgium increased their attack and had India on the backfoot for most parts of the last two quarters. Jerome Truyens scored the winner in the 44th minute, sending a low shot past India skipper and custodian P.R. Sreejesh.
India, currently placed third on the table behind Australia and Great Britain, next take on Korea on Tuesday.
Earlier, world champions Australia rallied from a two-goal deficit to prevail 4-3 over Olympic gold medallists Germany to bolster their position. Britain outplayed South Korea 4-1 for their first win in three matches.
