India Face Daunting Belgium Test In World Cup Classification Game
After failing to live up to the expectations, India will look to salvage some pride and regain confidence when they face formidable co-hosts Belgium in the seventh/eighth-place classification match in the FIH World Cup on Friday.
After failing to live up to the expectations, India will look to salvage some pride and regain confidence when they face formidable co-hosts Belgium in the seventh/eighth-place classification match in the FIH World Cup on Friday. But the task is daunting for Harmanpreet Singh and his men against the world No. 2 side, the pro league winner and one of the pre-tournament favourites. Having played their pool and second-round matches in Amstelveen, India arrived here after finishing fourth in Pool E. Belgium, meanwhile, will have the advantage of playing in front of their home crowd and on a familiar surface.
Both teams will be eager to end a disappointing campaign on a positive note after falling short of their respective semi-final ambitions. India's campaign has been marked by inconsistency and the dream of finishing at podium after 51 years shattered after the loss against Argentina in the last match .
The men in orange struggled to maintain intensity for the full 60 minutes, with their defence particularly vulnerable under sustained pressure.
The 3-5 defeat against Argentina in their final second-round match proved decisive. India needed a big win to remain in contention for the semi-finals but conceded within the opening 39 seconds and could not come out of pressure after that.
Their defence looked fragile and succumbed to pressure while the midfield left gaps that were effectively exploited. India have scored 14 goals and conceded 16 in the tournament.
Even against Olympic champions Netherlands, India were competitive for 40 minutes before conceding three goals in the final quarter to lose 1-3.
India began the tournament with wins over Pakistan and Wales but lost 2-4 to England before going down to Argentina.
Against Belgium, India will have to improve considerably in defence while finding more variation in attack, particularly from penalty corners where they have relied heavily on captain Harmanpreet.
Experienced midfielders Manpreet Singh and Hardik Singh will also have to take greater responsibility in controlling the game and creating chances.
Belgium possess considerable firepower with Tom Boon, who scored 19 goals in the Pro League this season, has already netted five times in the World Cup, while PC specialist Alexander Hendrickx scored 15 goals in the Pro League.
Belgium also have a recent edge over India, having beaten them 4-2 and 3-1 in the Pro League in Rourkela in February.
India coach Craig Fulton acknowledged the quality of the opponents and stressed the need for a disciplined performance.
"Belgium is a great team and one of the top three in the world. They too will not be happy with their performance in the tournament," Fulton said.
"They have got a very specific way of playing and have key players to make that structure work. Their penalty corner attack and defence are excellent, and we will have to be very organized and good on the ball. We need to improve our defence and put that in as a platform and then we can go forward from there." On playing Belgium at home and India playing their only match here, Fulton said the atmosphere could resemble the passionate support India receive in Rourkela or Bhubaneswar.
"Playing against the hosts on their home ground is very exciting. It will be like playing against India in Rourkela or Bhubaneswar, and we are eager to play in this wonderful atmosphere," he said.
Belgium, who were hoping to win the title on home soil, also endured a disappointing second phase. After winning two and losing one match in the first leg, they drew against Australia and Spain in the second leg to miss out on the semi-finals.
For India, Friday's match is more than a battle for seventh place. The bronze medalist at the last two Olympics will soon turn their attention to the Asian Games in Aichi-Nagoya, Japan, where they will seek gold and a direct qualification berth for the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics.
A win against a side of Belgium's calibre would provide a timely boost after a World Cup campaign that fell well short of India's expectations.
Match starts: 6:15 pm local time (9:45 pm IST).
India