BHUBANESWAR: Pace. Energy. Movement. India had been preaching the merits of these three traits during the build-up to their game against Belgium, a game in which one expected them to storm out of the tracks.
That didn’t happen thanks to the World No 3’s subtle change in tactics at the Kalinga Stadium. They have climbed up the ladder of success with a half-court press, trying to pick teams on the counter. But on Sunday, the Red Lions threw that template out of the window. They went full press and the hosts didn’t know what hit them. They lost possession at will as the Europeans pushed them into uncomfortable areas. One Indian player was usually surrounded by four Belgians as the full press pressurised the hosts into errors that would have been frowned upon in a Sunday League game.
To give credit where it’s due, India did not try and chase the game. They accepted that Belgium were getting the better of the encounter, but did not compromise their defensive structure. They maintained it (they have been accused of ignoring it in past encounters against elite oppositions), and were only 0-1 down after the second quarter here.
Whatever happened inside their dressing room at half-time, India came out like a side wanting to right a number of wrongs. 0-1 to Belgium after 38 minutes became 2-1 to India after 47, as India changed their strategy to nullify Belgium ’s attacking press.
After having only two circle entries in the opening 30 minutes, the World No 5 penetrated through the heart of the Belgian backline 10 times in the third quarter. Even though the equaliser came only eight minutes into it — a trademark Harmanpreet Singh penalty stroke — Harendra Singh’s men had started making inroads a few minutes before that.
Forward Dilpreet Singh — who had an average first quarter — got into a few good positions inside the D, but the final touch deserted him.
India by this time had finally managed to beat the press by going aerial; a tactic that gave them space down both the flanks, where they started creating overloads. With Shane McLeod’s men struggling to come up with a response, they soon lost control. When that happens against an Indian side with their tails up infront of their twelfth man in home conditions, it’s practically the opposition signing their own death sentence.
That’s exactly what happened eight minutes after Harmanpreet Singh’s penalty stroke. The ace drag-flicker played in Varun, whose pass sent Kothajit Singh free down the left. The overload came into play as Kothajit dropped a shoulder before going on a mazy little run down the left byline. After taking out several defenders, he put in a cross which was poked home by Simranjeet Singh for his third goal.
The capacity crowd — now fully in the game — lifted the roof off Kalinga Stadium. But Belgium, who have lost to India only once in their last eight clashes, aren’t World No 3 for nothing. They were visibly tiring from pressing, but they remained patient. And they were rewarded for that as Simon Gougnard capitalised on slack defending to restore parity.
Speaking after the game, Harendra conceded that they weren’t at the required level during the first half. “We were running behind the ball a lot. Every second pass was an unforced error.”
While Belgium contributed to that with their press, India made life hard for themselves by treating the ball like an unwelcome visitor. A passing accuracy of just 57.14 per cent in the first 15 minutes reflected that theory.
Harendra, who credited his players for changing the style and going long, once again issued a clarion call. “We have to make teams miserable. We cannot drop our energy.” McLeod credited India for turning things around in the third quarter. “We showed lots of energy and that’s what brought about the full press. India clearly struggled to keep hold of the ball but they played with a lot more confidence in the second half.” Small break for India
The hosts, who will play their last group game next Saturday, will head to a secluded beach in the next one or two days to recharge their batteries. If India — who top Pool C ahead of Belgium on the virtue of superior goal difference — beat Canada on Saturday, they will go through to the quarterfinals as table-toppers. For Belgium to have a realistic chance of avoiding a crossover match, they will have to beat South Africa by a minimum of six goals.
Harendra not surprised by belgium’s tactics
India’s chief coach Harendra Singh said a change of structure and game plan at half-time turned things around for his side after conceding an early goal in the 2-2 draw against Belgium. Harendra said he was not surprised by Belgium’s “full press” tactics early on. “We were not surprised in the first quarter with Belgium’s full press. We had discussed about it. They knew as the match progresses, India will be dangerous. My boys utilised the crowd’s energy,” the India coach said after the match on Sunday.