A rusty-looking Indian women’s hockey team gave away possession quite easily a number of times before putting up a fight in the fourth quarter but eventually lost 1-2 to Belgium in its first of the two-legged FIH Pro League tie in Antwerp on Saturday.
An attacking start to the match saw both the teams creating opportunities in the opening minutes, but it was Belgium who got better as they took the lead through captain Nelen Barbara in the third minute.
The hosts piled pressure on India with their structured attack and earned two penalty corners in the 5th and 7th respectively, but the Indian defence stood tall to deny them from scoring the second goal.
