Bitter defeat for Belgium in the World Cup semi-final is tempered by the fact that influential squad members will likely still be around in two years' time for the European Championship where they will have another realistic chance at a major title.
Tuesday's semi-final in St Petersburg sees team mates from English champions Manchester City, Chelsea, Manchester United and Tottenham Hotspur go head to head as well as rivalries between club colleagues from Barcelona, Paris St Germain and Monaco.
Ukraine will face Belgium, Romania and Slovakia in Group E. Although the Belgians are the group favourites, Ukraine are well-equipped to reach the knockout stage by finishing second.
"Dull, boring, lifeless -- nothing else to say really. But we're going to win the World Cup anyway so don't worry about us!" said Leighton from Liverpool.
Six medals from a 117-strong contingent is not ideal but India had its moments of joy, hope, frustration, and heartache.
A dipping long-range strike from Kevin de Bruyne gave Belgium a late 2-1 win away at 10-man Switzerland in a friendly between the two Euro 2016 finalists on Saturday.
The 36-year-old goalkeeper, a veteran of 328 international matches, took to social media to announce his decision.
No fewer than 14 will be up for grabs as day one promises action across multiple sports: four golds in swimming, two each in cycling, fencing, and judo, and one each in diving, skateboarding, shooting, and rugby sevens.
In other matches in the Champions Chellenge hockey tournament, New Zealand beat England while Argentina beat Japan.
Sweden midfielder Kristoffer Olsson has been hospitalised and put on a ventilator after falling unconscious at home.
'The more educated a young person is, the higher the chances of him or her remaining unemployed.'
The Belgian national team will not train for a second day following the Brussels bomb attacks, calling off a scheduled session on Wednesday in the wake of the deaths of at least 30 people, the country's football association said.
P R Sreejesh emerged hero with a superb performance under the bar as the Indian men's hockey team beat Great Britain 4-2 in the shootout to enter the semi-finals.
India conceded a soft goal in the fifth minute of the second semi-final encounter when Cedric Charlier scored from a field strike for Belgium, which eventually separated both the teams at the Sardar Vallabh Bhai Patel stadium.
Belgium will meet the United States in the Fed Cup semi-finals after Kim Clijsters and Justine Henin-Hardenne beat holders Russia
In the volatile international situation where 'nativism' is on the rise and immigrant communities are being targeted, the Leader of the Opposition's statement is like adding fuel to fire. If the Indian diaspora numbering 4 crores is threatened it will constitute a grave threat to national security, warns Colonel Anil A Athale (retd).
India were outclassed 0-4 by hosts Belgium in a lop-sided last-four clash, with Florent Van Aubel's fine hat-trick playing a pivotal role in the side's passage to the final of the FIH Hockey World League semi-finals in Antwerp.
Marouane Fellaini played chief tormentor as France suffered a 4-3 home defeat in a home friendly against Belgium on Sunday.
Belgium have the wealth of talent to come up with a variety of approaches to their Euro 2016 matches but still need to find the right formula, said captain Eden Hazard on Monday.
Reigning world champions Argentina continue to top the chart followed by 2022 World Cup runners-up France, England, Belgium and Brazil.
Ancelotti's second-string players proved they were up to the task as they secured three points for Real and kept them on course for the inevitable LaLiga title celebrations.
How India's athletes fared at the Paris Paralympic Games on Friday.
Belgium and Great Britain beat Malaysia and South Africa respectively to improve their chances of finishing among the top seven teams in the Olympic hockey qualifier.
In a step towards diversifying its resource base and securing green energy minerals, India is poised to launch its first-ever offshore mineral auction in the first quarter of 2024, announced Union Minister of Mines Pralhad Joshi during the launch event of the National Geoscience Data Repository portal. The government plans to hold auctions in March, offering 10-15 blocks for bidding. Meanwhile, the ministry of mines is currently developing rules and regulations for offshore mining.
Belgium went through to the last-16 at Euro 2016 on Wednesday when Radja Nainggolan's late strike gave them a 1-0 win over Sweden, who were knocked out after scoring only once in three games.
Lakshya had struggled through much of 2023 and early part of 2024. He fell behind in the qualification race but turned things around in time with two semi-final finishes at the All England Championship and the French Open to seal his place in the Olympics.
Captain Sandeep Singh starred with two goals as India beat Belgium 4-3 in the second hockey Test to level the three-match series in Braxgata, Belgium, on the second leg of their ongoing European tour.
Argentina reached the World Cup semi-finals for the first time in 24 years on Saturday when an early goal by Gonzalo Higuain and a strong defensive display proved enough to beat a disappointing Belgium side 1-0.
England shocked five-time reigning champions Australia 3-1, while Belgium defeated Pakistan 2-1 in their Pool A matches on the opening day of the Hero Champions Trophy hockey tournament.
England finished second in the group to land a potentially easier route through the tournament.
France produced a scintillating show as they put memories of one of the most painful moments in their soccer history to one side by crushing Bulgaria 4-1 in a World Cup Group A qualifier on Friday.
PV Sindhu stormed into the pre-quarterfinals of the Olympic Games' women's singles competition
Kumar Gaurav, the second secretary at the Embassy of India in Brussels tells Rediff.com's Vaihayasi Pande Daniel that the Belgian government has closed off its borders and shut down its entire transport system.
India squandered a two-goal advantage and conceded a last-minute goal to lose 3-4 to Belgium in the final of the Champions Challenge I hockey tournament in Johannesburg on Sunday.
Kidambi Srikanth's opening round match ended in agony as he retired due to a knee injury after lagging 14-21, 3-11 against Japan's fifth seed Kodai Naraoka.
Belgium fought back from two goals down to beat Japan 3-2 with an added-time goal from substitute Nacer Chadli on Monday to set up a World Cup quarter-final with Brazil.
Belgium became the first European team to qualify for next year's World Cup when a Romelu Lukaku header gave them a 2-1 win away to Greece on Sunday with the goals coming in a five-minute second-half spell.
Indian junior women's hockey team goes down against Germany
Belgium coach Marc Wilmots insists Kevin De Bruyne is enjoying his football again and will get even better when his side play Hungary in their Euro 2016 round of 16 clash on Sunday. De Bruyne struggled in Belgium's opening 2-0 defeat by Italy but contributed an assist against Ireland before delivering a midfield masterclass as Wilmots's side secured a place in the second round with a 1-0 win over Sweden.
Renault driver Kevin Magnussen has been given the green light to race in Sunday's Italian Grand Prix after passing a fitness check at Monza, the Formula One team said.
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