India vs Belgium hockey semifinal: Focus is now on winning the bronze medal, says captain Manpreet Singh
India’s hopes of playing in an Olympic final were dashed by world champions Belgium in a pulsating semi-final that ended 5-2. Minutes after the game, Indian men’s hockey team captain Manpreet Singh said the team must move on and the focus is now on winning the bronze medal at the Olympics 2021.
There was very little to separate India and Belgium at the Oi Hockey Stadium in Tokyo on Tuesday. Both teams swore by an alert defense, an agile forward line, tending on pronged attacks, and a 'never give up' attitude.
Check Out: Tokyo Olympics 2021 Schedule
Though the scoreboard suggests an Indian drubbing, it was only in the final 10 minutes where India had lost the match. Keeping up pace and matching move to move against the World No. 1, India made sure they were in the game for the most part until a numerical disadvantage creeped in.
India captain Manpreet Singh said the team approached the semi-final with a winning mentality but admitted that they fell short of expectations and ran out of steam. He said:
"It is really hard for me right now because we came with a winning mindset, but unfortunately we didn't win the match. In the second quarter we fell back, where they created good opportunities and got a PC. Now we need to focus on our next bronze-medal match and we need to work and we need to get the medal."
Green card wrests initiative from Indian hockey team
The Indian men's hockey team were found guilty of picking up three cards in their quarter-final match against Great Britain. This was always going to prove costly against Belgium.
On the eve of the match, Indian men’s hockey team coach Graham Reid stressed the need to avoid cards during the game. He had said:
“We need to keep 11 players on the pitch. The problem is that we played a lot of our game against Great Britain with 10 men on the pitch. We can't do that against Belgium and think that we can be victorious.”
However, with the score at 2-2, captain Manpreet Singh received a green card and the numerical disadvantage served as a bane for India.
Check Out: Tokyo Olympics Hockey Schedule
Belgium seized the initiative from India at that point and went on to score a penalty corner through Alexander Hendrickx. The goal meant the Belgians took the lead in the match for the first time.
Coach Graham Reid rued the green card and said it was a game changer for the Indian men's hockey team. Speaking to reporters in Tokyo after the match, Reid said:
“The green card to Manpreet Singh was one of the turning points of the game. It is now important for us to forget today’s match and focus on the bronze medal.”
The Indian men's hockey team will now meet either Germany or Australia in the bronze medal play-off match on Thursday.
Also Read: Olympics 2021: 3 talking points from India's 2-5 defeat against Belgium in men’s hockey semifinal