ISLAMABAD: Belgium completed a dominant double over Pakistan in the FIH Pro League, thrashing the Green Shirts 6-0 in the return fixture at the Brussels Arena on Friday to wrap up the two-match series with an emphatic 13-1 aggregate score.
After handing Pakistan a heavy 7-1 defeat in the first encounter, the hosts once again proved far superior, capitalising on their chances while exposing Pakistan’s defensive frailties and lack of cohesion.
Belgium struck in the opening minute when Nicolas de Kerpel’s effort from a narrow angle took a deflection off a defender, hit the post and crossed the line after brushing the goalkeeper’s glove. The early goal set the tone for the match as Pakistan struggled to settle.
The home side doubled their lead in the 17th minute after Nelson Onana dispossessed a Pakistani player outside the circle and set up Tom Boon, who made no mistake. Boon added his second six minutes later with a simple finish following a well-worked move inside the circle to give Belgium a commanding 3-0 lead at halftime.
Pakistan created a number of openings and showed occasional flashes of attacking promise, but poor finishing and a lack of composure in front of goal prevented them from reducing the deficit.
Belgium effectively sealed the contest in the 41st minute through Victor Foubert, whose brilliant piece of individual skill saw him beat two defenders before firing home with a reverse-stick strike. Boon completed his hat-trick in the 46th minute with a powerful first-time shot, while Hugo Labouchere added a drag-flick goal four minutes later to complete the scoring.
Boon was named Player of the Match after his three-goal performance. “I think we lost too many balls, but we coped well with their counterattacks. We know Pakistan is a really fast team and very dangerous on the counter,” Boon said after the match.
The result highlighted the gulf between the two sides. While Pakistan had shown fighting spirit in earlier Pro League outings against Argentina and Australia, where they pushed stronger opponents close, the team appeared short of match practice and lacked the coordination and consistency required at the highest level against a well-drilled Belgian side.
