India fought hard but a defensive lapse from Harmanpreet Singh cost them dear as they slumped to their first defeat in the second edition of the FIH Hockey Pro League, losing 2-3 to world champions Belgium.

After defeating world No. 3 Netherlands in their opening two matches, India beat world No. 1 Belgium in a thrilling match on Saturday to continue their unbeaten run, which lifted them to No. 4 in the world rankings.

But the Manpreet Singh-led side could not repeat Saturday’s performance and went down fighting in their second match against Belgium. Alexander Hendrickx scored from a penalty corner in the third minute for Belgium but it was Maxime Plennevaux’s two field goals that ensured the win for the visiting side. India’s goals came from the sticks of Vivek Sagar Prasad and Amit Rohidas . The win enabled Belgium to keep their top position in the standings with 14 points from six games, while India are placed second with eight points from four matches.