England Hockey billed this game as the bronze medal match, which probably gave playing for third place in a four-nation tournament more kudos than it deserved. And England looked as if they were facing further humiliation when goals from Renaud Pangranzio and Tom Boon gave Belgium a 2-0 lead at half time. The last thing the squad needs at the moment as a morale sapping defeat on the eve of defending the European Championships.
I would love to have been a fly on the wall at the half-time chat, because it was a revitalised England that came out for the second half. Iain Lewers' penalty corner conversion three minutes into the half could have been England's consolation goal but James Tindall was on target a minute later with an equaliser from another corner.
There was a near collapse of the Belgian defence as captain Barry Middleton scored England's third and Mark Pearn netted a fourth. James Tindall put the icing on the cake when he scored his second and England's fifth. Final score 5-2 to England.
In the second half England showed the sort of form they should have shown earlier in the tournament. As we've mentioned before, there were a number of factors which have not helped England. Their opponents have often enjoyed strokes of luck which have been noticeably absent from the home side's game. But that said, if England are hoping to be serious contenders in the European Championships, and the Olympics, they will need to up their game.
We are always cautioned about taking the results of a tournament too seriously ahead of a major championships. But would England be seriously satisfied with coming third in a tournament played on home turf. I think not.
Later in the afternoon Korea secured the London Cup by beating New Zealand 4-3. The Koreans had been ahead for most of the match but it was Nam Yong Lee who scored the winner and his hat-trick with five minutes left on the clock.
IMAGES FROM THE 3RD/4TH PLACE MATCH PLUS PICTURES FROM THE ENGLAND HOCKEY BOARD AWARDS WILL APPEAR ON OUR PHOTOS WEB SITE www.HockeyImages.co.uk soon.
