India give Belgium a sneak in towards the climax

India fail to hold top spot in the points table as Belgium produce a last moment sneak in. India has had a horrifying time facing Belgium in the past with only two wins under their belt and three draws. Apart from these five outcomes it has been a sad story for team India as Belgium has defeated the Men in Blue 16 times in these set of matches.

Harmanpreet Singh scored for India from a penalty corner in the 10th minute giving India a crucial lead in the first quarter itself. The opposition had their chances to equalise but they squandered opportunities. It seemed as if India will register their third victory against Belgium but they scored right at death and spoiled India’s party.

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India are on seven points with one game in hand. They play against Netherlands on Saturday and will aspire to finish in the top two positions. Australia lead the table as India fail to hold their spot after the draw against Belgium. If India were to resist the final blow from Belgium, they would have topped the table as a result of a better goal difference than all other teams in the Hockey Champions Trophy 2018.

This is the last edition of Hockey Champions Trophy so all teams will be keen to win it. It’s the business stage of the tournament and the top two teams look favorites to clinch the title.

Pakistan won the inaugural Champions Trophy and were a ferocious unit in that era. It’s difficult to understand the lack of quality and precision that they have demonstrated over the years. A team that dominated and stamped their authority on world map find themselves right at bottom of the ladder just above Belgium.

India will look to display better skills and game play when they play the home team in Breda on Saturday.