Going by world rankings, there is hardly anything to differentiate between the two teams as India are placed fifth while Belgium is just one rung below at sixth position in FIH chart.
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India were chasing their first semi-final appearance in the Olympics in 36 years and proceedings were on course when Akashdeep Singh scored in the first quarter against the run of play. “The level of our game up will match up with the Belgians”, the confident skipper said. There are always gaps.
Previewing all of the matchups in Monday’s women’s field hockey quarterfinal rounds.
Sophie Bray scored midway through the fourth period, then Alex Danson barely got the stick on a long shot and redirected it into the goal three minutes later for the clincher.
Among other quarter-finals, reigning World champions Australia will face the Netherlands in a hockey treat as the two top ranked teams in world hockey go head-to-head in a re-match of the 2014 World Cup final.
“We need to give our 100 per cent on the day and that’s what we aim to do”, he added. “It’s bad for us and I am disappointed”.
As the game opened both the teams went after each other aggressively and Belgium’s quick and attacking play kept the Indians guarded. The ball touched the left leg of goalkeeper Vincent Vanasch before entering the cage. 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 United States of America into a second place finish in Pool B.
Quarterfinals: Belgium 3 (Sebastien Dockier 34, 45; Tom Boon 50) bt India 1 (Akashdeep Singh 15). In the last women’s pool round on Saturday, the Spanish, who have a frightful goal differential, must beat the winless South Koreans to heap pressure on China to beat New Zealand to make the quarterfinals, instead.
From there on, the Argentines took the game by the scruff of the neck, with a flurry of goals, from Granatto (23′), Rebecchi (26′), Agustina Albertarrio (27′) before Cavallero scored her second (29′).
Belgium got the lead one minute later when Cedric Charlier crossed from the left and Dockier dived forward superbly to deflect the ball in.
Belgium scored a third in the final quarter via Tom Boon to extend their lead. Lacked the needed ideas to stop the Belgium’s attack, Sreejesh team succumbed without much ado.
Meanwhile, boxer Vikas Krishnan, just one win away from winning an Olympic medal after a comprehensive victory over his opponent in his prequarterfinal bout, says he wants nothing less than a gold at the Rio Games.
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“In hockey, captaincy isn’t the most important but it’s all about outside of the field, how you are coordinating with the players, how you are bringing them together, getting their potential out”. However, the Belgians received a penalty corner right before the end of the half as a result of their efforts.
