Belgium's 6-0 drubbing of England in the semifinal of the men's Hockey World Cup in Bhubaneswar might have been clinical, but there was a lot of emotion behind it. The joy of reaching their first World Cup final was tinged by sadness, and there were no celebrations in the dressing room or the team hotel.
Midfielder Simon Gougnard got the news of his father's demise at 2am. He was suffering from cancer. But the professional that he is, Gougnard chose to focus on what lay ahead—a chance to create history for his country. The team took the field wearing black arm-bands.
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In the 22nd minute, Gougnard scored the second goal for Belgium. There were no celebrations, only hugs from his teammates, who were egging him on.
“It was difficult. His father was pretty sick. It is a shame he couldn't be there with his father but he really wanted to play. So, we dedicate the victory to his father. Today, our memories are with Simon and his father. He [Simon] was really close to his father. You always hoped that he passes away when Simon is there but he couldn't be there with his family. That's the hard part,” said Thomas Briels, captain of the Belgium team.
Coach Shane Mcleod acknowledged the sombre but determined mood in the team on the morning of the match. “We had words, we spoke and he shared the news with the group. If anything, it brought the group closer together. It's something you may not wish upon anyone... circle of life and so on. He played for his father today and played a fantastic game.”
