PR Sreejesh, who frequently served as a player-coach on the field, flailed his arms and yelled at his colleagues from behind his helmet to express his displeasure with their performance. The mics couldn’t quite capture his outburst. However, the goalkeeper’s body language suggested that he did not have pleasant things to say.
The incident occurred 14 minutes into India’s Pro League match versus Belgium. However, if Sreejesh’s hollering was intended to wake up the rest of the team, it failed.
India went on to lose 4–1. The result, however, was hardly the worst aspect of the weak performance against Belgium on Thursday night. The outcome of such matches in the run-up to the Olympics is always accompanied by an asterisk, albeit how long India’s underperformance can be viewed as a ‘experiment’ or ‘keeping the cards close to their breast’ is debatable.
Belgium initially posed a greater threat, but India’s formidable defense stood steady. Midway through the quarter, India stepped up their efforts, driving Belgium back and creating opportunities on the right side. Despite the efforts of both teams, the first quarter went goalless.
In the second quarter, both sides got off to a good start, with the first few exchanges evenly matched. India received an early penalty corner but were unable to score because Belgium’s goalkeeper blocked Harmanpreet’s shot. Belgium seized a 1-0 lead with eight minutes remaining in the quarter when Felix Denayer scored from close range. Despite multiple assaults, India failed to equalize before halftime.
India came out strong in the second half, but Belgium’s defense held firm. The third quarter was tense, with action on both sides, and Belgium extended their lead to 2-0 with Alexander Hendrickx scoring from a penalty corner. With 15 minutes remaining, India raised their tempo, but Belgium extended their advantage to 3-0 with Cedric Charlier’s (49′) superb field goal. Abhishek (55′) scored for India with five minutes remaining.
In the waning stages, Belgium secured a penalty shot, which Alexander Hendrickx skillfully converted in the 60th minute. This cemented Belgium’s 4-1 victory as the game ended.
