Indian men shock Olympic champion Belgium in hockey

ANTWERP: Goalkeeper PR Sreejesh saved a penalty stroke in an exhilarating shoot out after making some breathtaking saves in regulation time as the Indian men’s team stunned Olympic champion Belgium 5-4 in the first match of the two-legged FIH Pro Hockey League here on Saturday.

The Indian team was down 1-3 with just eight minutes left in the match but made it 3-3 to force a penalty shoot-out.

Sreejesh foiled an attempt from Alexander Hendrickx, who was taking his third PS, when the shoot-out was locked 4-4 and Akashdeep Singh found the net to make it 5-4 for the Tokyo Games bronze medallist.

Sreejesh, as usual, was brilliant under the bar, foiling a number of attempts from the host throughout the match but his two saves in the final quarter proved to be crucial.

The eventful first quarter ended in a goalless stalemate with Sreejesh doing a fantastic job under the bar, making two saves.

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