Bhubaneswar: The Belgium team, which created history by emerging the champions in the men’s hockey World Cup after thrashing the Netherlands in a penalty shootout, Sunday said it was written in the stars.
“The coach said before the game it is written in the stars and even before the shootout, he said guys it is written in the stars. So, we were pretty confident, said an elated Belgian skipper Thomas Briels as he flashed his gold medal before the press besides engaging in a bit of jig.
“We worked really hard for this medal. Sometimes we win, and sometimes we lose a final. We are still excited and we can’t believe that we are World Champions,” said the captain.
However, coach Shane Mcleod gave credit to the Netherlands for their show in the final. “We have to give credit to the Netherlands. They played very defensive game. For sure we take the victory, but it was such a close game,” the gaffer said before praising the players for trusting each other.
On the other hand, Netherlands coach Max Caldas said it is time to move on after losing the game and concentrate on the future matches.
“Men’s hockey is very tough and very difficult. It’s not easy to win a game. We played tough games against tough teams including the home team in a quarterfinal. I am disappointed of course for the game. But I am really proud of about how the players performed in the tournament,” said the coach. He also added that they worked very hard in the last two years to become a strong contender.
Sardar steps down
Karachi: Pakistan men’s hockey team manager Hassan Sardar has stepped down from his position, Monday after the teams’ disappointing show at the recently concluded World Cup. Pakistan were eliminated after they lost eventual champions Belgium 0-5 in the cross-over round thereby finishing at disappointing 12th. However, Sardar want a foreign coach at the helm who would help in revamp from the grassroots level to bring up world class players.
