IMAGE: Harmanpreet Singh celebrates with Sumit after
scoring India's first goal during the Olympics men's hockey semi-final against
Belgium, at Oi Hockey Stadium in Tokyo, on Tuesday. Photograph: Alexander
Hassenstein/Getty Images
India's hopes of snatching
gold at the Olympics after 41 years went up in smoke as they were beaten 2-5 by
Belgium in the men's hockey semi-finals, at Oi Hockey Stadium in Tokyo, on
Tuesday.
The Belgians scored thrice
from penalty-corners and a 'stroke' to snatch a berth in the final.
Alexander
Hendrickx (19th, 49th, 53rd minutes), the tournament's leading scorer,
registered a hat-trick while Loick Luypaert (2nd minute) and John-John Dohmen
(60th) were also on target as the defending Olympics silver-medallists made
their second successive entry to the final.
For India, who led 2-1 at
one stage, Harmanpreet Singh scored from a penalty-corner and Mandeep
Singh from a field goal.
The Indians,
whose last appearance in the final at the Olympics was way back in 1980 at
Moscow, where they went on to win the last of their eight gold medals, put up a
tremendous fight, but were beaten by a fitter, superior and better-organised
team. They had their moments of ascendency but it was not enough to unsettle
the World champions, who forced 14 penalty-corners, from which they converted
four.
India earned five
penalty-corners, but could score off just one. That was the difference between
the two teams.
IMAGE: Mandeep Singh celebrates scoring India's the
second goal. Photograph: Alexander Hassenstein/Getty Images
Belgium forced their first
penalty-corner in second minute after Felix Denayer sent the ball into the
circle and Rupinder Singh's deflected it with his foot. Lupayert scored with a
perfect drag-flick for his first goal of the tournament.
India got their first
penalty-corner following a referral soon after, but messed it up as Vivek was
unable to stop the ball cleanly.
Another penalty-corner
followed in the seventh minute and this time around Harmanpreet Singh sounded
the board with a powerful flick through the legs of a Belgian defender on the
goal line. It was his fifth goal in the tournament.
Mandeep Singh then made it
2-1 two minutes later following a pass from Amit Rohitdas. He turned around and
fired with a reverse tomahawk hit. The Belgians asked for a review for a back
stick, but the goal stayed.
IMAGE: Alexander Hendrickx celebrates with with
Nicolas de Kerpel after scoring Belgium's third goal. Photograph:
Alexander Hassenstein/Getty Images
India forced their third
penalty-corner in the 10th minute, but Rupinder Pal's flick was well-saved by
Belgian goalkeeper Vincent Vanasch.
A goal down, the Belgians
came up aggressively in the second quarter. They stormed the Indian circle in
the first few minutes and forced three successive penalty-corners but
India defended well through Amit Rohidas.
They continued to dominate
and forced another penalty-corner after Hardik Singh's foot made contact with
the ball and this time Alexander Hendrickx stepped to take the set-piece drill
and fired home to make it 2-2 in the 19th minute.
Shreejesh denied the
Belgians twice, getting his hand to rising shot, to see India through to
half-time on even terms.
IMAGE: Rupinder Pal Singh reacts atthe end of the
match. Photograph: Alexander Hassenstein/Getty Images
The start of the third
quarter saw hectic activity as Belgium tried to hurry the Indian defenders into
errors in their bid to force penalty-corners. But it was the Indians who forced
one after breaking away down the right in the 38th minute. The Belgians went
for a referral and were denied. Manpreet, however, was unable to make it count
with his flick.
Belgium continued to attack
but India defended well to keep the score 2-2 at the end of the third
quarter.
India were down to ten men
in the 48th minute after Manpreet Singh was shown the green card and
immediately after his exit from the field the Belgians forced three successive
penalty-corners and scored from the third through Hendrickx, who increased his
goal tally to 13 in the tournament.
With the intensity of
Belgian attacks increasing the Indian defenders' shoulders began to droop in
the humid conditions and Belgium scored their third goal from another
penalty-corner thtough Hendrickx.
With six
minutes to go for the hooter, India conceded another penalty-corner from which
followed a 'stroke'. Hendrickx took it and scored to make it 4-2 for
Belgium.
John Dommen then added
another in the last minute to complete the rout.