Having already been knocked out of the medal contention, the Indian men's hockey team concluded its Hockey World Cup campaign with a defeat against Belgium in a high-stakes penalty shootout. The loss forced Team India to finish in 8th place overall. The classification match was locked in an intense 3-3 draw at the end of regulation time. In the ensuing penalty shootout, Belgium edged out India 4-3 to secure the victory. Indian captain Harmanpreet Singh scored twice during regulation time, while Abhishek added one goal. However, Belgium's goalkeeper delivered a crucial performance during the shootout to deny the Indian side a victory.
Early Advantage and First-Half Dynamics
India started the match on an aggressive note and took an early lead in the 6th minute when Abhishek converted a field opportunity to make it 1-0. Soon after the opening goal, an operational error occurred on the Indian bench. Captain Harmanpreet Singh received a yellow card after the team briefly had more than the permitted 11 players on the pitch, resulting in a 5-minute suspension for the skipper. During the first quarter, Belgium earned multiple penalty corners to equalize, but the Indian defensive unit successfully foiled every attack, keeping Belgium goalless throughout the opening half.
Second-Half Resurgence and Harmanpreet's Late Equalizer
Belgium responded swiftly in the second quarter by netting two quick goals within two minutes. Roman Duvekot restored parity in the 22nd minute with a field goal to make it 1-1. Just a minute later, in the 23rd minute, Hugo Labouchere capitalized on a penalty corner to give Belgium a 2-1 lead. India fought back in the early minutes of the third quarter as Harmanpreet Singh scored to bring the match back to a 2-2 tie. Belgium regained the lead in the fourth quarter to push the scoreline to 3-2. With just 20 seconds remaining on the clock, Harmanpreet Singh converted a dramatic penalty corner to level the score at 3-3 and force a shootout.
Shootout Misses Cost India the Match
The penalty shootout began promisingly for India as Shilanand, Dilpreet, and Abhishek successfully scored on their respective first three attempts. However, India lost momentum during the final two attempts, with both Harmanpreet Singh and Sukhjeet failing to find the back of the net. Belgium's attackers converted four of their five attempts, with only one player missing his target, securing a 4-3 shootout victory for Belgium.
World Cup Campaign Context and Round-Two Slump
India entered the World Cup aiming to end a 51-year medal drought in the tournament. The team began its group stage campaign with a 3-1 victory over Wales and a 5-3 win against Pakistan, alongside a 2-4 loss to England. However, India's performance stumbled during the second round, where consecutive defeats against the Netherlands (1-3) and Argentina (3-5) eliminated the squad from semifinal contention. India ended the second round without recording a single victory.
