Belgium beat India 1-0 in final to clinch maiden Sultan Azlan Shah Cup title

Belgium defeated India 1-0 in a closely fought final to win their maiden Sultan Azlan Shah Cup title on Sunday. Nicolas de Kerpel scored the opening goal for Belgium, which proved to be decisive as they secured a thrilling win in the summit clash. India had entered the final after a record 14-3 victory over Canada in the final, however, they were far from their best against a higher-ranked Belgium in the title clash.

India were awarded as many as three penalty corners in the game but failed to convert any as they failed to break the deadlock. It was India's second defeat against Belgium in the tournament, having lost 3-2 against them in the round-robin stage. India lost only two matches in the tournament, with both their defeats coming against Belgium.

Craig Fulton's men had lost 3-2 against Belgium in the group stage, but seemed to have learnt nothing from it heading into the final. While India were defensively solid in the final, they lacked the cutting edge going forward as they failed to get past Belgium's gritty defence. India kept searching for the equaliser after Stockbroekx's goal in the 34th minute, but failed to find the back of the net.

Stockbroekx gave Belgium the lead after a brilliant finish from close range. He capitalised on a pass from Nicolas de Kerpel, who danced down the right wing and beat Indian defender Sanjay Rana, before laying an inch-perfect pass for Stockbroekx, who made no mistakes with the finish.

India, who were without the likes of captain Harmanpreet Singh and Manpreet Singh in the XI in the final, had their goalkeepers to thank in the end, as keepers Mohith HS and Pawan Malik produced some impressive work between the sticks to keep their team in the game till the end despite going a goal down in the third quarter.

In the final quarter, India made desperate attempts to equalise and stay alive in the final, however, Belgium held their nerves and thwarted multiple attacks from Indian to run down the clock. With star midfielder Hardik Singh also rested in the final, India's midfield lacked creativity and discipline as Belgiium managed to secure a hard-fought victory.

Belgium won their maiden title in only their second appearance in the Sultan Azlan Shah Hockey tournament this year. Their first appearance in the tournament came in 2008, when they finished sixth. Meanwhile, India were hunting for a sixth title in the final. India are the second most successful team in the tournament with five titles, behind Australia, who have won the tournament a record 10 times.