Belgium beaten by the Netherlands in the EuroHockey Championships
The Belgian men's and women's teams both took a silver medal in the European Hockey Championships. In the final the Red Lions and Panthers both came up against the stronger Dutch team. The Belgian junior teams also had to content themselves with a silver medal.
The Belgian hockey women battled on right through to the final for the first time in the history of EuroHockey Championships. As predicted, the Red Panthers were unable to match the Dutch women and lost with a deciding 3-0. The positive news was that the Belgian women's goalkeeper, Aisling D’Hooghe, was awarded the title of best female goalkeeper in the tournament. The EuroHockey Championships will be held again in two years' time in Belgium and the Red Panthers certainly wish to match, if not better their performance.
The Belgian men's hockey team also qualified for the EuroHockey Championships' final against their Dutch hosts after an incredibly exciting semi-final. After a strong first half, the Red Lions were able to take a break with a 2-0 lead, but the Dutch men managed to turn things around and end with a score of 2-4. It was some compensation that the Belgians Arthur Van Doren and Vincent Vanasch took the tournament titles of best player and best male goalkeeper.
Finally the Belgian junior boys and girls also faced defeat by the Netherlands in their EuroHockey Championships' final in the Spanish city of Valencia. The Belgian boys, the 2016 vice world champions, were forced to surrender after the shoot-outs. Just a few hours the Belgian girls were no more successful in surprising the Dutch team and lost with a score of 0-6.