India lose 2-3 to Belgium

Bhubaneswar: India fought hard but a defensive lapse from Harmanpreet Singh cost them dear as they slumped to their first defeat in the second edition of the FIH Hockey Pro League, losing 2-3 to world champions Belgium here on Sunday. After defeating world number three the Netherlands in their opening two matches of the FIH Pro League, India beat world number one Belgium in a thrilling match on Saturday to continue their unbeaten run, which lifted them to number four position in the world rankings. But the Manpreet Singh-led side could not repeat Saturday’s performance and went down fighting in their second match against world number number one Belgium. Alexander Hendrickx scored from a penalty corner in the third minute for Belgium but it was Maxime Plennevaux’s (17th, 26th) two field goals that ensured the win for the visiting side. (PTI)