After finishing fourth in Group B, Asian champions India took on Group A toppers Belgium, who have been unbeaten in the tournament, in the quarter-final clash in men’s hockey tournament at the Olympics.
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It not only resulted in his suspension for five minutes but also led to his team giving away another short corner to the Candians from which they scored the equaliser.
India were up 1-0 by Akashdeep Singh’s goal inside first quarter but the Sreejesh’s men conceded thrice in the second half to to hand Belgium their first Olympics semifinal since Antwerp 1920.
It was India who took the lead through Akashdeep Singh in the 14th minute as the supporters in stands started celebrating and discussing about the opponent in the semi finals. “If we want to be champions, we want to meet the best”. “That’s where we have been lacking”, he added.
The New Zealand Women have been confirmed to meet trans-Tasman rivals Australia in the quarter finals at the Rio Olympic Games.
Akashdeep Singh deflected from a close angle but Belgium hit back as Dockier equalised in the 34th minute.
“The point guarantees us a spot in the Quarter-Finals so we’re happy with that”. Belgium wilted for the first two quarters before finding their groove in the third.
Sebastien Dockier’s double in the third quarter and Tom Boon sealed the win in the 50th minute. But Savita pulled off a spectacular save as a goalless Q1 came to an end. “(I’m) really, really proud of the momentum we’ve created”. The ball touched the left leg of goalkeeper Vincent Vanasch before entering the cage. Although there’s little to choose from the world rankings of the two teams, the fact remains that Belgium moves into the encounter as clear favorites. A third quarter strike from Michelle Vitesse put the Pan American champions into the driving seat, but Great Britain turned the result in their favour thanks to goals from Sophie Bray and Alex Danson to earn a 2-1 win and force U.S. into a second place finish in Pool B. All five goals came in the second quarter, with Martina Cavallero scoring twice alongside strikes from Maria Granatto, Carla Rebecchi and Agustina Albertarrio. A diving deflection into the top corner made the scoreline 2-1 in favour of the Belgians, leaving Sreejesh totally helpless.
The captain said that not much should be read into the team’s last league match and that the team would play its best in the knock-out phase. “We are a team with the ambition to keep winning, and that’s what shows every time we go on the field”.
Holcombe’s Barry Middleton said: “It either wasn’t falling for us completely, or we didn’t have that bit of luck we needed”.
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“The game can change till the last moment in hockey, so it’s more important till the end how we concentrate and try to get a lead”. Lock Luypaert took the penalty corner for Belgium, but VR Raghunath rushed out fast to deflect the ball away.
