Stockbroekx’s goal seals Belgium’s maiden title as India settle for silver

Belgium defeated India 1-0 in the Sultan Azlan Shah Cup final in Malaysia. Thibeau Stockbroekx scored the decisive goal in the 34th minute as India failed to convert penalty corners and settled for silver in the prestigious hockey tournament

Malaysia: In an entertaining final, Belgium beat India 1-0 in a closely fought encounter to lift the Sultan Azlan Shah Cup here on Sunday.

India were forced to settle for silver, thanks to Thibeau Stockbroekx’s lone goal of the match in the 34th minute.

---

This is Belgium’s maiden Sultan Azlan Shah title and only their second appearance in the event. India, who came into this match after a high-scoring 14-3 win against Canada on Saturday, could not convert the three penalty corners.

While Jugraj Singh, Amit Rohidas and Sanjay had been successful in penalty corner attacks during this tournament, they could not beat the Belgian defence. This was India’s second defeat in the tournament after losing 2-3 to the European side in the league stage.

There were intense midfield battles and with experienced stars like Manpreet Singh and Hardik Singh rested for the tournament, the onus was on the younger lot who did well to keep narrow margins.

Both teams displayed tactical play, with Belgium starting on a better note through stronger ball possession. Their attack troubled the Indian defence from both flanks and even forced a couple of sharp saves from the Indian goalkeeper.

Though Belgium earned two early penalty corners, India did well to keep them at bay. India took a while to settle into the match while Belgium made them work hard in the midfield to control play.

With the score 0-0 at half time, Belgium shifted momentum and put India under pressure. The Indians resorted to high press and increased their circle entries but could not outsmart the Belgian defence in the third quarter.

Stockbroekx’s goal in the 34th minute put India under pressure. The final quarter saw India make desperate attempts to level scores but Belgium’s structure held strong and ran down the clock to seal the win.