Belgium v/s for Pakistan
The odds were always in the favour of Belgium despite the huge gap in rankings (5-0 win) against Pakistan. It was a statement of intent from the Red Lions as they booked a quarterfinal spot in the Hockey World Cup.
Netherlands beat Canada 5-0. This would now be up against host India for a position in the semifinal match. Belgium will play Argentina in the another quarterfinal.
No one gave Pakistan a chance before the game.
The Belgians controlled every aspect of the game and took the total control. They toyed with the opposition. Continuous defending from Pakistan kept it away for the first 10 minutes before Hendrickx’s penalty corner conversion gave Belgium the lead.
After three minutes, captain Thomas Briels made it 2-0 despite being controlled by a Pakistani defender, deflecting in a pass from Florent Aubel beat past half a dozen defenders along the backline.
Then there was Belgium all the way even without the team exerting itself to its limit.
It spread the flanks and used the aerial balls. They cut through the middle and entered the Pakistan circle at will and took possession of the midfield.
Pakistan had a shot at goal through the game but both went waste. The Pakistan side that had fought quite hard in the early stages was absent and it looked like the players were running and unable to match the pace of Belgian players.
Then, it simply looked like having given up and trying to only avoid conceding more goals before going back home.
Afterwards, the Netherlands brushed aside inconsistency. It showcased itself as one of the favourites for the title with a clinical performance against Canada.
The Netherlands gave a lesson by finding gaps and opening up space against a team that likes to stay defensive. It was a miracle how Canada managed to hold it goalless in the first quarter with coach Max Caldas clearly unhappy at the quarter break.
The pep talk helped the 3 time champion to get better with its finishes. Then two goals in five minutes were all that it took to open the gates.
The third quarter was enough to seal the deal for the Netherlands.
The first two semifinalists would be decided when England takes on Argentina in the first quarterfinal match while Australia play France in the later part of the day.
The results: Belgium 5 (Alexander Hendrickx, Thomas Briels, Tom Boon, Cedric Charlier, Sebastien Dockier) bt Pakistan 0; Holland 5 (Thijs van Dam 2, Lars Balk, Robbert Kemperman, Thierry Brinkman) bt Canada 0.
Netherlands beat Canada 5-0. This would now be up against host India for a position in the semifinal match. Belgium will play Argentina in the another quarterfinal.
No one gave Pakistan a chance before the game.
The Belgians controlled every aspect of the game and took the total control. They toyed with the opposition. Continuous defending from Pakistan kept it away for the first 10 minutes before Hendrickx’s penalty corner conversion gave Belgium the lead.
After three minutes, captain Thomas Briels made it 2-0 despite being controlled by a Pakistani defender, deflecting in a pass from Florent Aubel beat past half a dozen defenders along the backline.
Then there was Belgium all the way even without the team exerting itself to its limit.
It spread the flanks and used the aerial balls. They cut through the middle and entered the Pakistan circle at will and took possession of the midfield.
Pakistan had a shot at goal through the game but both went waste. The Pakistan side that had fought quite hard in the early stages was absent and it looked like the players were running and unable to match the pace of Belgian players.
Then, it simply looked like having given up and trying to only avoid conceding more goals before going back home.
Afterwards, the Netherlands brushed aside inconsistency. It showcased itself as one of the favourites for the title with a clinical performance against Canada.
The Netherlands gave a lesson by finding gaps and opening up space against a team that likes to stay defensive. It was a miracle how Canada managed to hold it goalless in the first quarter with coach Max Caldas clearly unhappy at the quarter break.
The pep talk helped the 3 time champion to get better with its finishes. Then two goals in five minutes were all that it took to open the gates.
The third quarter was enough to seal the deal for the Netherlands.
The first two semifinalists would be decided when England takes on Argentina in the first quarterfinal match while Australia play France in the later part of the day.
The results: Belgium 5 (Alexander Hendrickx, Thomas Briels, Tom Boon, Cedric Charlier, Sebastien Dockier) bt Pakistan 0; Holland 5 (Thijs van Dam 2, Lars Balk, Robbert Kemperman, Thierry Brinkman) bt Canada 0.
Comments
Post a Comment