New Delhi, June 23 -- Harmanpreet Singh could finally afford a smile as his 59th minute penalty stroke handed the Indian men's hockey team a 4-3 win against hosts Belgium in Antwerp late on Sunday, ending a seven-match losing streak.

India had travelled to Europe late in May placed third in the FIH Pro League with a very good chance of qualifying for the 2026 World Cup - champions qualify for World Cup/Olympics. With Netherlands and Belgium having qualified as hosts and Australia making the cut as last edition's winners, the Harmanpreet-led outfit had a solid chance of heading straight to Amstelveen and Wavre by just finishing fourth if not higher.

But bad luck in addition to last-minute nerves resulted in India's worst campaign in Pro ...