India lose 2 -5 To World Champion Belgium In Semi Final, Will Now Fight For Bronze medal on August 5

New Delhi: Dreams of the Indian team, as well as their fans, were shattered on Tuesday morning as World Champion Belgium beat India 5-2 in the first Semi Final of  Men’s Olympic hockey competition in Tokyo. Penalty corner specialist Alexander Hendrickx scored a brilliant Hat-Trick in the match. He converted two penalty corners and one penalty stroke.

India failed to reach the Finals but still has a chance to win the Bronze medal on Thursday. If India wins that match, against either Australia or Germany, that will be India’s first medal in Olympics after 41 years.

Belgium enters their second successive Olympic finals, where they will face the winner of the second Semifinal between Australia and Germany on August 5.

 It was a hat-trick by Alexander Hendrickx (19', 49', 53'), and goals by Loick Luyaert (2') and John-John Dohmen (60') that helped Belgium book a place in the Final. For India,  Harmanpreet Singh (7') and Mandeep Singh (9') scored the two goals.

The Indian team was on top of the world on Tuesday as they reached Olympics hockey Final after a gap of 41 years. India last played the Olympics Final in 1980 Moscow and under Vasudevan Baskaran’s captaincy won the Gold medal. This was India's last Olympic medal.

First-quarter was very eventful as three-goal came in the first fifteen minutes, with India on 2-1lead. In the second quarter Belgium get the equalizer and score read 2-2, a third-quarter went goalless but in the fourth and last quarter, Belgium totally outclassed the Indian defence and scored three goals to win the match by 5-2. The two goals were scored by Penalty corner specialist Alexander Hendrickx on a Penalty corner and Penalty stroke and the last and fifth goal for Belgium was scored by John-John Dommen.

India played brilliant attacking hockey and earned four penalty corners in the first half. In the first quarter, Belgium took the early lead through Loick Luypaert and stunned the Indian camp but India hit back through Harmanpreet Singh's penalty corner and score 2-2. Soon after Mandeep Singh then put the Indian team ahead in the 8th minute. First-quarter ended with India on lead with 2-1. Belgium's Penalty corner specialist  Alexander Hendrickx equalized in the 2nd quarter. Third-quarter went goalless but in the fourth quarter, Alexander Hendrickx converted another Penalty corner with his second goal of the match to give Belgium a 3-2 lead, he scored again, this time on a penalty stroke, score 4-2. Belgium team got the fifth goal and won the match 5-2. In the final minutes of the match, India chose to remove their goalie and put an extra attacker on the pitch, but the risk did not materialize. While Harmanpreet's tomahawk was saved well by Vanasch with one minute left, Belgium scored their fifth goal on a counterattack. It was John-John Dohmen who struck the goal for Belgium, ending India's hopes of playing in an Olympic Final.