Breaking News - India causes a flutter, shocks Belgium in penalties
India causes a flutter, shocks Belgium in penalties: Jam-packed Kalinga Stadium could not have asked for more as the hosts edged out pre-tournament favourites Belgium 3-2 in penalty shoot out after two teams played a 3-3 draw in the second quarter-final of the Odisha Hockey World League Final in Bhubaneswar on Wednesday.
With this defeat, the Reds of World Hockey - Red Lions (Belgium) and Red Sticks (Spain) -- went out of contention for medal in the World League final here. Earlier,defending champions Australia knocked out Spain 4-1 in the first quarter-final.
The game of the day, however, was the second quarter-final that saw the only unbeaten team of the tournament, Belgium playing the hosts before a strong home crowd.It is India's second successive entry into semi-finals of the World Hockey League. Last time India ended with a bronze.
Though the Belgians had one of the best striker of penalty corners in Luypaert who scored twice today to take his personal tally of goals to eight. But Luypaert's good work with penalty corners was not enough to see his team through to the podium. For India it was a sweet revenge for the quarter-final reverse it suffered in Rio when it lost to Belgium in the quarter-finals.
For India, it was Gurjant Singh Virk, and drag flickers Harmanpreet and Rupinderpal Singh who carried the day. Besides, the goalkeeper Akash, too, did a superb job in the penalty shoot out.
It was Gurjant who had the misfortune of seeing two of brilliant crosses not yielding goals inspite of gallant attempts by winger SV Sunil to connect them. Gurjant,however, made up with an opportunist goal to give India lead that was consolidated by a penalty corner conversion by Harmanpreet Singh. While Gurjant scored in the 31st minute Harmanpreet got his first in the 35th minute.
Conceding 2-0 lea, Belgians pulled one back through Luypaert from their first penalty corner in the 39th minute. The Red Lions did not had to wait for long to restore parity with yet another superb penalty corner conversion by Luypaert in the 46th minute.
When Rupinder pal Singh converted India's fourth penalty corner in the 46th minute, it looked the home team would carry the day through. But Belgians had different ideas. A defence lapse saw the ball being diverted to Indian goal in the 53rd minute to extend the tie to penalty shoot out.
The first round of five penalty shoot out saw both the teams scoring two goals each. It was in the sudden death that Harmanpreet scored before Akash brought off a brilliant save from the subsequent attempt by the Belgian to give the home team a place in last four and a lot to the home crowd to cheer about.
-PTC News
