Boon hat-trick seals victory for Belgium in FIH Pro League

Rourkela: Tom Boon continued from where he left off in the Hockey India League as he scored a hat-trick to help Belgium down Argentina 5-3 in their Pro League match at Birsa Munda Hockey Stadium here on Tuesday.
Besides Boon’s treble (15’, 30’, 58’), Alexander Hendrickx (53’) and Guillaume Hellin (32’) scored one goal each as the Belgians came from behind to down the South Americans for whom the goals were scored by Tomas Domene (2’, 24’) and Nicolas della Torre (9’).
The Red Lions, meanwhile, wore black armbands during the game to honor Thibeau Stockbroekx’s father who passed away in a car crash recently. Stockbroekx had travelled with the team to take part in the Pro League but went back after hearing the news from New Delhi itself.
Earlier, Argentina began the game in dominating fashion scoring two goals within the first ten minutes itself. Domene scored the first while della Torre made it 2-0 in the ninth minute – both coming from the PCs.
However, Boon, who top scored in the HIL for Ranchi Royals with 19 goals, pulled one back at the end of the first quarter to keep the Belgian hopes alive. But Domene scored his second midway into the second quarter to restore the lead and it seemed for a moment that the Argentines would come out on top.
But the 2024-25 Pro League runners-up had other things in mind as they shifted gears and scored four goals over the next 30 minutes to grab their fourth win of the tournament in five games. They will now face off against India on Wednesday and they can’t wait for the occasion.