India lost to Belgium in the men's hockey semi-final match and will now take on either Australia or Germany in the bronze medal match at the ongoing Tokyo Olympics. India conceded early in the match as Belgium scored in the second minute to take a lead. However, India came back strongly and finished the first quarter with 2-1 lead over the world number two side. Belgium kept on attacking and equalised in the second quarter. The world champions managed to score three goals in the final 15 minutes to seal a 5-2 win and secure a place in the gold medal match on Tuesday.
After the heartbreaking loss, Prime Minister Narendra Modi spoke to Indian skipper Manpreet Singh and appreciated their "good performance" throughout the tournament and extended his best wishes for the bronze medal match.
PM Modi also tweeted after the men's hockey semi-final match and said that India is proud of the players.
"Wins and losses are a part of life. Our Men's Hockey Team at #Tokyo2020 gave their best and that is what counts. Wishing the Team the very best for the next match and their future endeavours. India is proud of our players," PM Modi tweeted.
The Indian men's team will be in action on Thursday in the bronze medal match and they will be up against the losing team from the second semi-final, scheduled to played later in the day.