Princedeep Singh was India's cynosure in defence while Sharda Nand Tiwari struck thrice in the shootout as a spirited Indian junior men's hockey team held its nerves to beat Belgium 2-2 (4-3 SO) in a high-octane quarterfinal clash at the FIH Hockey Men's Junior World Cup Tamil Nadu 2025 in Chennai on Friday.
Princedeep Singh was the hero of the match with some incredible saves in the shootout that brought about glimpses of his coach, PR Sreejesh, the former custodian of the Indian senior team. Awarded the Player of the Match, Princedeep was extremely effective in the regulation time too, keeping Belgium at bay - particularly in the third quarter when they won back-to-back PCs.
"Have learnt a lot from Sreejesh and the confidence is up watching him, learning from him. It was a sensational match, and the crowd support in Chennai has been incredible," expressed Princedeep. Sharda Nand Tiwari too stood tall in India's shootout, with his insatiable penalty strokes that kept India in the hunt.
He scored thrice while Ankit Pal scored the winning goal for India, taking the scoreline to 4-3 in the tense shootout. Earlier in the match, India had remained patient until they snatched the lead from Belgium in the 45th minute when Captain Rohit broke the gridlock with a sensational dragflick that equalised the score 1-1.
Belgium had scored in the 13th minute of the match through a field goal by Gaspard Cornez-Massant, giving them a roaring start and putting India on the back foot early in the game. The following quarter, Belgium put on a brilliant defensive structure that kept blocking away any chance India could create.
But the third quarter was where all the action unfolded when India returned from the half-time break with new vigour. India custodian Princedeep, meanwhile, was on absolute fire, making some splendid saves - almost reminding one of his coach PR Sreejesh's style of safeguarding India's post.
In the 48th minute, Sharda Nand Tiwari put India ahead by 2-1 with a well-executed PC. The goal brought up big celebrations across the stadium in Egmore. But it was short-lived as Belgium found an equaliser in the 59th minute, through Nathan Rogge. Next up, India will take on seven-time champions Germany in the Semifinal on December 7.