India vs Belgium in Paris 2024 Olympics: Player ratings from narrow loss for Team India
The Indian men's hockey team suffered their first loss at the Paris 2024 Olympics as they went down 2-1 to defending champions Belgium. In a tightly contested match, the Belgians came from behind to upstage India and take the win.
The Indian team took the lead with a brilliant goal from Abhishek in the 18th minute. The Belgium team had to wait till the second half to get the equalizer. Thibeau Stockbroekx delivered the leveller in the 33rd minute.
John-John Dohmen then scored the winning goal in the 44th minute to ensure that his team continued its winning run.
India tried hard to find a way through and their ever-reliable captain Harmanpreet Singh almost converted a penalty corner in the dying minutes of the match. However, the postman made a defiant save at the line to deny India.
To further understand India's performance today, here's a look at player ratings for the team from their match against Belgium.
Player ratings for India from their match against Belgium in Paris 2024 Olympics
Jarmanpreet Singh - 7/10
Jarmanpreet was as reliable as ever for India in the game against Belgium. He remained the receiver of choice whenever Indian players wanted to give an aerial pass and also performed his defensive duties well.
Abhishek - 8/10
The opening goal of the match was an excellent strike from Abhishek. Apart from that also, he was in great form and played a very active role in in attack for India. When India defended, he fell back also and helped out his teammates.
Manpreet Singh - 7/10
India's midfield did a reasonable job in the match against the Olympic champions and Manpreet played his part nicely.
Hardik Singh - 5/10
Once again, Hardik Singh couldn't live up to the expectations. Partly, that is because the role given to him - of defensive midfielder - requires more caution and creativity. Yet, one feels that Hardik is not playing with his usual flair and is too diffident.
Gurjant Singh - 6/10
Gurjant didn't make any major mistakes today but was also not as prominent in India's attacking play as some other forwards.
Mandeep Singh - 7/10
Mandeep came very close to scoring in the fourth quarter but just missed out. Otherwise, he was quite active in the contest and played a key role in creating opportunities for India to score.
Harmanpreet Singh - 7/10
The India captain almost bailed India out of trouble once again in the dying moments. But that wasn't all he did. Once again, Harmanpreet was among the more assertive and confident players in the Indian lineup and didn't shy away from taking on opposition players in one-on-one contests.
PR Sreejesh - 8/10
Playing in his final international tournament, Sreejesh once again showed his class. He made several brilliant saves, including against penalty corners and kept Belgium from increasing their lead.
Sumit - 6.5/10
Sumit was decent without being excellent in this match. He did commit errors occasionally, which affected India adversely.
Shamsher Singh - 5/10
Shamsher didn't leave a mark on the match and was largely ineffective.
Amit Rohidas - 7/10
The veteran India defender was once again a solid presence at the back for India and contributed greatly to a good showing by his team's defense.
Sanjay - 7/10
The new entrant into the Indian setup, Sanjay seems to have found his groove in the team. He played a key part in India's solid defense and even helped the forward line at times.
Lalit Kumar Upadhyay - 7/10
Lalit wasn't India's best forward today, but was also not the worst. He did help his team create chances and took on the Belgian defense impressively.
Raj Kumar Pal - 5/10
Raj Kumar Pal hurt his team's chances heavily by picking up a yellow card with just over six minutes to go in the match.
Vivek Sagar Prasad - 7.5/10
On the face of it, Vivek Sagar Prasad had two shots at goal which he missed. However, the fact that he was involved in these plays shows that the midfielder from Madhya Pradesh was in the thick of action and played a vital role for his team.
Sukhjeet Singh - 6.5/10
Sukhjeet Singh also performed well against Belgium, but just couldn't open up the defense enough to help his team score.