India suffered their second successive loss against Belgium after the team went down 1-2 against the European outfit in the final match of the first leg of the Four Nations Invitational tournament at the Blake Park in Tauranga on Sunday.

Tom Boon (4th minute) and Sebastien Dockier (36th) found the target for Belgium while Mandeep Singh (19th) was India’s lone goal scorer.

The match started at a brisk pace and Belgium were first to get off the block, earning a penalty corner in the third minute oly for Loick Luypaert’s drag flick to be blocked by India’s first runner K Chinglensana.
Almost immediately, India had a great opportunity to draw first blood 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 and Boon made them pay for the mistake by putting Belgium ahead in the fourth minute.

India overcame a slow start in the second quarter and found the equaliser in the 19th minute when defender Rupinder Pal Singh intercepted a Belgian long pass and found Manpreet in the midfield who then sliced the ball into the centre of the circle for Mandeep to finish the move.

Indian goalkeeper Sreejesh was then forced to make 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.
But Belgium took the lead at the start of the third quarter when Dockier pounced on the rebound following a Gauthier Boccard reverse hit from the top of the striking circle to beat the Indian custodian.

India bounced back in the final quarter, making more penetrative runs in the opposition striking circle but Belgium’s experienced goal keeper Vincent Vanasch made some important saves to keep India at bay.

“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,” said Marijne.

On January 24, India will take on hosts New Zealand in the first match of the second leg in the Four Nations Invitational tournament.