The New Zealand men’s hockey team are still seeking their first points in Paris after going down 2-1 to Belgium.
In a match of fine margins, the Belgians took their chances and the New Zealanders may feel they left a goal or two on the turf.
Belgium took an early lead from a penalty corner with the Tokyo Olympics top goal scorer Alex Hendrickx flicking home the goal.
It was a double blow for New Zealand as Simon Child was injured in the process, and he didn’t return for the rest of the game.
There was a clear separation in quality between the two sides in the opening stanza but New Zealand grew into the game and came roaring out of the quarter break.
Hayden Phillips found himself in space at the edge of the circle and unleashed a powerful shot that was expertly saved by Vincent Vanasch, who had a great game.
Not to be outdone at the other end, New Zealand goalie Dom Dixon also made a number of crucial saves.
New Zealand applied good pressure in the third quarter and eventually found their way through when Phillips found the stick of Sam Lane with a slick pass across the face of the goal.
The joy of equalising was short-lived as Belgium went ahead straight from the restart with Florent Van Aubel scoring with a world-class volley.
New Zealand now have a day off before taking on Argentina on Tuesday (3am Wednesday, New Zealand time).