Belgium and India set for seventh/eighth-place classification match at FIH Hockey World Cup

Belgium continue to threaten on the counter, and they nearly extend their lead.

Stockbroekx unleashes a reverse hit, but Mohith is up to the task and makes a sharp save.

Moments later, the hosts earn another penalty corner, but Mohith comes to India's rescue once again, keeping out the effort.

Just a minute after finding the equaliser, world No. 2 Belgium have turned the game around and taken the lead against India.

Hugo Labouchere unleashes a bullet of a drag-flick from the penalty corner, leaving Indian goalkeeper Mohith with little chance. Belgium have suddenly gone from 0-1 down to 2-1 up in a matter of minutes!

India earn their first penalty corner of the match after a successful video referral. Hardik Singh sends the ball towards Rajinder Singh, who goes down and appeals for a foul by Alexander Hendrickx. The video umpire takes a look, and the decision goes India's way.

Harmanpreet Singh steps up for the drag-flick, but his effort is blocked. However, India earn another penalty corner from the rebound. Once again, the Belgian runner gets the better of Harmanpreet's effort, as India miss two back-to-back chances to double their lead.

After a sedate start, India broke the deadlock through Abhishek's field goal in the sixth minute.

Belgium then took control of the proceedings, repeatedly attacking the Indian circle in search of an equaliser. The hosts earned four penalty corners but failed to convert any of them, with India's defence holding firm.

India also had to cope with the temporary absence of captain Harmanpreet Singh, who was shown a yellow card and handed a five-minute suspension after India were found to have 12 players on the field instead of 11.

Despite the pressure, India held on to their 1-0 lead at the end of the first quarter.

Hockey India has announced a cash award of Rs 50 lakh for the Indian women's team following their historic fifth-place finish at the FIH Hockey World Cup.

Salima Tete's side secured the landmark result with a 3-1 victory over World No. 5 Germany in the fifth/sixth-place classification match in Amstelveen on Thursday.

It was India's best World Cup finish since they placed fourth in the inaugural 1974 edition. The team suffered just one defeat, drawing against higher-ranked China, England and Australia and thrashing South Africa 6-1.

Hockey India president Dilip Tirkey hailed the achievement as a testament to the team's resilience and fighting spirit.

For India, today's contest is about more than simply finishing seventh in the tournament. The bronze medallists at the last two Olympics will soon shift their focus towards the Asian Games in Aichi-Nagoya, Japan, where they will aim to win gold and secure a direct qualification berth for the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics.

A strong performance against Belgium would therefore provide a timely confidence boost after a World Cup campaign that has fallen well below expectations.

India will need to rediscover the intensity, defensive discipline and attacking variety that have been missing at crucial moments of the tournament.

Belgium, meanwhile, will be equally determined to end their home World Cup on a positive note.

The seventh/eighth-place classification match will begin at 9:45 pm IST.

India coach Craig Fulton acknowledged the quality of the Belgian side while stressing the need for his players to produce a disciplined performance.

"Belgium is a great team and one of the top three in the world. They too will not be happy with their performance in the tournament," Fulton said.

"They have got a very specific way of playing and have key players to make that structure work. Their penalty corner attack and defence are excellent, and we will have to be very organized and good on the ball. We need to improve our defence and put that in as a platform and then we can go forward from there."

Fulton also expects the atmosphere to add another dimension to the contest, comparing it with the passionate support India receives at home.

"Playing against the hosts on their home ground is very exciting. It will be like playing against India in Rourkela or Bhubaneswar, and we are eager to play in this wonderful atmosphere," he said.

Belgium will enter the classification match with considerable attacking quality and a recent head-to-head advantage over India.

Tom Boon, who scored 19 goals in the Pro League this season, has already found the net five times at the World Cup. Penalty-corner specialist Alexander Hendrickx, meanwhile, scored 15 goals in the Pro League and gives Belgium another major threat from set pieces.

The hosts have also beaten India twice in their recent Pro League meetings in Rourkela, winning 4-2 and 3-1 in February.

Belgium had been among the pre-tournament favourites and were hoping to challenge for the title on home soil, but their own campaign has fallen short of expectations. After winning two and losing one match in the first leg, they drew against Australia and Spain in the second leg and missed out on the semi-finals.

India's campaign has been defined by inconsistency, with the 3-5 defeat against Argentina in their final second-round match proving decisive. The result ended their hopes of reaching the semi-finals after India needed a convincing victory to remain in contention for a last-four spot. Instead, they conceded within the opening 39 seconds and struggled to recover as Argentina repeatedly exposed weaknesses in their defence.

India have scored 14 goals and conceded 16 in the tournament, highlighting the difficulties they have faced at both ends of the pitch. Their inability to maintain intensity for the entire 60 minutes has been another concern.

Even against Olympic champions Netherlands, India remained competitive for 40 minutes before conceding three goals in the final quarter to suffer a 1-3 defeat.

After falling short of expectations at the FIH World Cup, India will look to salvage some pride and regain confidence when they face formidable co-hosts Belgium in the seventh/eighth-place classification match today.

Harmanpreet Singh and his men entered the tournament with ambitions of ending India's 51-year wait for a World Cup podium finish, but those hopes were dashed after a disappointing second-round campaign.

Belgium, ranked No. 2 in the world, will pose a formidable challenge, particularly with the home crowd behind them. Having played their pool and second-round matches in Amstelveen, India have now arrived at the venue where Belgium will enjoy the advantage of familiar conditions and vocal support.