Tokyo Olympics: 'Wins and losses are part of life,' says PM Modi after India lose men's hockey semifinal

Prime Minister Narendra Modi said wins and losses are a "part of life" after the Indian men's hockey team lost the semi-final clash against Belgium at the ongoing Tokyo Olympics. PM Modi also wished the team for the next match and said, "India is proud of our players". 

The Manpreet Singh-led team's dreams of entering the Olympics final after 41-years were shattered after they lost 2-5 to world champions Belgium in semis. However, they will now fight for a bronze in the Tokyo Games. 

"Wins and losses are a part of life. Our Men’s Hockey Team at #Tokyo2020 gave their best and that is what counts. Wishing the Team the very best for the next match and their future endeavours. India is proud of our players," PM Modi tweeted. 

ALSO READ | EXCLUSIVE: Winning for my country was important, says Indian badminton star PV Sindhu on her Olympics bronze

While the match was underway, PM Modi tweeted that he was watching, He wrote, "I'm watching the India vs Belgium Hockey Men's Semi Final at #Tokyo2020. Proud of our team and their skills. Wishing them the very best!"

ALSO READ | Tokyo Olympics gymnastics: Simone Biles to compete in balance beam final

Both the teams were off to a thrilling start to the first quarter as India scored two goals back-to-back to take a 2-1 lead after the Men in Blue conceded an early goal with Loick Luyaert scoring through a penalty corner. For India, Harmanpreet Singh and Mandeep Singh were on the score sheet in Q1.

The tournament's top scorer and Belgium's star Alexander Hendrickx levelled the score 2-2 in the second quarter. He went on to score two more goals in the final quarter to complete his hat-trick, taking his team to the gold-medal match. 

Previously, India had booked a place in the semi-final through a 3-1 win against Great Britain in the quarterfinals This was their first semis since 1972. On the other hand, Belgium defeated Spain 3-1 to enter the semi-final of the event.