Two goals from Alexandre Hendrix helped Belgium men register a thrilling 3-2 win over India in the second leg of the two-leg FIH Pro League hockey tournament in Antwerp on Sunday, 12 June 2022. Alexander Hendrix (49th, 59th) scored two goals in the fourth quarter. Earlier, Nicolas de Kerpel scored the first goal for Belgium in the 33rd minute.
Tokyo Olympic 2022 champions Belgium had lost 4-5 in the first leg in a penalty shootout. In this match, Belgium were trailing 0-1 till half time, but they recovered by coming back. With this win, world champions Belgium moved up to second place in the points table, while India are at third place. The Indian team will now face the Netherlands next week.
In the match, Abhishek (25th minute) scored the first goal of the match for India, while Mandeep Singh (60th minute) scored another goal just moments before the hooter. Belgium started the game with better control of the ball. He also soon got his first penalty corner of the match. However, India’s PR Sreejesh, the legendary goalkeeper, defended it brilliantly with his foot.
India had a chance to take the lead in the fifth minute. Jarmanpreet’s cross from the right side is played by Sukhjit over the goal post. In the final moments of the first quarter, Jugraj created a brilliant opportunity from the center of the field, but the Belgian defense showed excellent coordination and defended.
Jarmanpreet scored a penalty corner in the second quarter after five minutes of play, but Harmanpreet’s shot was brilliantly saved by goalkeeper V Vansh. In the 25th minute of the match, a brilliant combination from Gurjant Asair Vivek Sagar Prasad, Abhishek gave India the lead by scoring a field goal. Belgium made a strong comeback in search of an equalizer but Sreejesh’s brilliant defense led the Indian team 1-0 at half time.
At the start of the second half, Belgium took advantage of the fragmentation of the Indian defense line. In the 33rd minute of the match, a goal from De Korpel leveled the score at 1-1. In the third quarter, Akashdeep was shown the green card. Due to this India had to play with 10 players. Belgium got a penalty corner in the last quarter due to Surendra Kumar’s mistake. Alexander Hendrix converted it into a goal to give the hosts the lead.
Four minutes later, India also got a penalty corner but the team failed to equalize the score. Belgium scored another penalty corner in the 59th minute of the match and Alexandre Hendrix scored another goal to put the team 3-1 ahead. In the last minute of the match, Mandeep narrowed the gap by scoring a six to the opposing goalkeeper. A few seconds before the hooter was fired, Vivek created another brilliant opportunity, but his shot went past the goal post.