India Stun Belgium in Thrilling Quarter-Final, Set to Face Germany in Hockey Semis
Image Source: Internet
In a nail-biting quarter-final match at the FIH Hockey Men's Junior World Cup in Chennai, India edged past Belgium 2-2 (4-3) in a penalty shootout. Goalkeeper Princedeep Singh stole the show with his incredible saves in the shootout, earning him the Player-of-the-Match award. His coach, PR Sreejesh, a former custodian of the Indian senior team, was a source of inspiration for Princedeep. India's goalkeeper was equally impressive in regulation time, keeping Belgium at bay, particularly in the third quarter when they won back-to-back penalty corners. Sharda Nand Tiwari and Ankit Pal were instrumental in India's shootout success, with Sharda scoring thrice and Ankit securing the winning goal. The match saw a dramatic turn of events, with India trailing Belgium for 32 minutes before levelling the score in the 45th minute through captain Rohit's drag-flick. Belgium had taken the lead in the 13th minute through a field goal by Gaspard Cornez-Massant. However, India's renewed vigour in the third quarter saw them take the lead, only for Belgium to equalise in the 59th minute through Nathan Rogge. India will now face seven-time and defending champions Germany in the semi-final on Sunday. In other news, the Indian girls secured a dominant 4-0 win over Ireland in their final Pool C match of the FIH Junior Women's World Cup in Santiago. Purnima Yadav (42nd, 58th), Kanika Siwach (12th), and Sakshi Rana (57th) scored goals for India. The Indian team will now await the results of other matches to see if they qualify for the quarter-finals of the women's tournament.
