Indian men’s team finishes 8th after losing 3-4 to Belgium in penalty shootout
India's men's hockey team secured an eighth-place finish at the FIH World Cup after a 3-4 defeat to co-hosts Belgium in a penalty shootout. The match, held at Belfius Hockey Arena amid cold winds, saw Belgium emerge victorious with goals from Tom Boon, Arthur de Sloover, Alexander Hendrickx and Roman Duvekot. India, on the other hand, had strikes from Abhishek and Harmanpreet Singh, while Duvekot, Labouchere, and Nicolas de Kerpel scored for Belgium.
Harmanpreet's last-gasp penalty-corner strike into the shoot-out proved crucial as it secured the match for India. Despite leading briefly in the final minutes, India could not overcome Belgium's stronger performance in the shootout. The Indian team, aiming for their first World Cup medal after 51 years, had earlier defeated Wales and Pakistan in the first round but lost to England, Argentina, and Belgium subsequently.
Belgium, despite their eighth-place finish, fell short of expectations, having been eliminated from the semifinal race after draws against Australia and Spain.
Written by urgent.news from The Indian Express's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
