FIH Hockey Pro League: England Hockey triumphs against Belgium

Within the regulation time, Calnan Will in the 21st and 30th minutes were the goalscorers for England. In contrast, De Sloover Arthur scored for Belgium in the 30th minute and Alexander Hendrickx in the 59th minute. 

England scored two goals in the first half but had half the circle penetrations compared to Belgium and received just one penalty corner. Will Calnan fired the ball into the net to open the scoring for England after Stuart Rushmere lifted the ball into the Belgian circle. He scored again in the last minute of the first half with a flick past Van Doren to double the lead for England. Just seconds later, the Belgian side launched a counter-offensive as Cédric Charlier made a run to the English circle and sent the ball to Arthur De Sloover, who sent the ball into the goal to make it 2-1. 

England was close to victory, but Alexander Hendrickx fired the ball into the net to level the score, sending the match into a shootout. None of the players from Belgium scored in the shootout, while Phil Roper, James Albery, and Liam Ansell scored to win the shootout 3-0 for the home side.

In a post-match interview, David Goodfield said, "I think we went out today and played our game. It was something about the two Dutch games that we were a bit frustrated about. We went out there and did well defensively. We wanted to be out on the front foot. It was good we were being brave, playing forward, and taking the game on, which led to us taking chances.

England women's hockey team beat Belgium in the first leg

In the women's event, England won against Belgium 2-1 in the first leg of the FIH Pro League match at Lee Valley Hockey & Tennis Centre in London on June 18.

Belgium dominated the first half of the match as a turnover in the sixth minute allowed them to launch an effective counterattack. Michelle Struijk lifted the ball on the first touch and volleyed it into the net after receiving a well-placed pass from Alix Gerniers to give the Belgium side a 1-0 lead. The Belgian squad tried to build on the momentum as Stephanie Vanden Borre, and Ambre Ballenghien attempted to further increase the lead for the visitors but failed to get past the English defense.

The English squad found their footing in the second squad as Tessa Howard slotted the ball into the net to equalize the score after receiving a pass from Fiona Crackles. In the final quarter, the home side was given a penalty corner. Grace Balsdon took the shot and fired the ball through the legs of Aisling D'Hooghe to make it 2-1, securing the victory for England.

In a post-match interview, Player of the Match Fiona Crackles said, "It was a challenging game out there today. We started pretty well, and they got a goal against the play, but we kept playing and believing. I think halftime was the turning point for us. We had some clear points we wanted to work on and execute in the second half. I think part of it is for us to play brave and break them down. We have to play fast, play smart but not rush.