India men's hockey team lost the semifinal match to Belgium on Tuesday, thus failing to reach the final in Tokyo Olympics. The Manpreet Singh-led Indian team looked solid at the start of the match, taking a 2-1 lead in the first quarter. But the inability to prevent penalty corners against the 2018 world champions Belgium cost them the match, as they lost the encounter 2-5.
India will still compete in the men's hockey bronze medal match where they will face off against either Germany or Australia. Prime Minister Narendra Modi took to Twitter to applaud the efforts of the Indian team and wished them well for the bronze medal match.
India vs Belgium Men's Hockey semifinal - Highlights
"Wins and losses are a part of life. Our Men’s Hockey Team at #Tokyo2020 gave their best and that is what counts," PM Modi wrote on Twitter.
"Wishing the Team the very best for the next match and their future endeavours. India is proud of our players," he added.
Alexander Hendrickx starred for Belgium in the match, scoring a hat-trick, two of the goals coming in the final quarter. India's Amit Rohitas was excellent in defence as he put his body on the line on numerous occasions to prevent a goal from a penalty corner.
{{/usCountry}}Alexander Hendrickx starred for Belgium in the match, scoring a hat-trick, two of the goals coming in the final quarter. India's Amit Rohitas was excellent in defence as he put his body on the line on numerous occasions to prevent a goal from a penalty corner.
{{/usCountry}}But in the end, the number of PC's that India conceded caught up to them, and they were unable to prevent the goals from going in.