India go down 2- 3 to Belgium for first loss FIH Pro League 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 No. 3 the Netherlands in their opening two matches of the FIH Pro League, India beat World No. 1 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 Saturdayu2019s performance and went down fighting in their second tie against Belgium.
Alexander Hendrickx scored from a penalty corner in the third minute for Belgium but it was Maxime Plennevauxu2019s ( 17th, 26th) two field goals that ensured the win for the visiting side.
Indiau2019s goals came from the sticks of Vivek Sagar Prasad ( 15th) and Amit Rohidas ( 17th).
The win enabled Belgium to keep their top position at the standings with 14 points from six games, while India are placed second with eight points from four matches.
PTI India captain Manpreet Singh pushes the ball during their FIH Pro League tie v Belgium yesterday
