Belgium coach Micheal van den Boer is confident that his team would meet the United States in the final of the ongoing Kazan Olympic Qualifier. He seems to be unduly not bothered that his team went down 3-2 in the inaugural match.
Spaking in the post match press conference after the first match, where his team came close to close the match a drawn one, he said that he would be doing lot of work tonight to figure out exact reasons for the second half sluggishness the team showed. “I hope the team maintains the same tempo, but it was not. This is a beginning, and we can only improve from here.
Once we study today’s match, we will be able to beat the USA, she quipped, obviously indicating that his team will meet the USA in the final.
USA and Belgium match started on a brisk note, USA entering the board as early in the first quarter. Belgium replied with a fluent field goal, but that was all the Belgium could do in the remaining part. After trailing 1-3 for better part of the match, Belgium got their first penalty corner in the 65th minute. As the ball went of shoulder high, the right winger deflected it for making the scoreline look respectable (2-3).
By winning the match, USA has taken a firm step towards their target of achieving the Beijing Olympics.