Tokyo Olympics: Hockey LIVE — India loses to Belgium in semi-finals, will play for bronze
Welcome to our Live Blog coverage of the Men's Hockey Semi final between India and Belgium
India on the verge of history (Source: Getty)
The Belgians first played an Olympic Games when Antwerp hosted the competition in 1920. Interestingly, the Belgians also won an Olympic medal in hockey even before the Indians did as India were not part of the 1920 Antwerp Games. Four teams competed and Belgium won the bronze medal before the Indians began their six-gold streak from 1928.
In 1928, the Indians thrashed Belgium 9-0 in the group stage and though the Belgians never reached the podium, they kept competing until the 1976 Games in Montreal but went off the Olympic radar for a good 32 years to return in Beijing 2008. Ten years after their reentry, the Belgian Red Lions stunned the hockey world by winning the Olympic silver in Rio.
Now, its a bigger stage than ever before. It's an Olympic semifinal which India has reached for the first time since Munich 1972, hoping to make it to the finals for the first time since 1980 (The Moscow Games did not have a semifinal).
FOLLOW LIVE:
ALEXANDER HENDRICKX OUTCLASSES THE INDIANS WITH A HAT-TRICK IN TOKYO
THREE GOALS ARE WHAT SEPARATE THE TWO TEAMS - THREE GOALS THAT SEPARATE INDIA AND PLACE IN THE FINAL - THREE GOALS AND A PLACE IN HISTORY
BELGIUM 4 - INDIA 2
THE DREAM OF GOLD AND THE DREAM OF A PLACE IN THE FINAL AFTER 41 YEARS CONTINUES TO ELUDE THE INDIANS AT TOKYO!!!!
59' HARMANPREET'S REVERSE IS SAVED!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! BELGIUM SCORE AT THE OTHER END!!!!
BELGIUM 5 - INDIA 2
58' INDIA WITH AN EXTRA ATTACKING PLAYER BUT DO NOT HAVE POSSESSION!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
56' INDIA NEED A GOAL - BELGIUM KEEP THE BALL - THE CLOCK TICKS DOWN
54' HARDIK SHOWS HIS STICK SKILLS BUT CANNOT MAKE IT COUNT AS THE BELGIANS COUNTER!!!!
HAT-TRICK FOR HENDRICKX ALTHOUGH SREEJESH GOES THE RIGHT WAY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
BELGIUM 4 - INDIA 2