We didn't even qualify for the World Cup in 2010. On Sunday, the Belgium men's hockey team completed their incredible journey from being World Cup also-rans to becoming world champions, from mediocrity to supremacy — all of it in a matter of a few years. The Red Lions' defiant roar has two factors behind it: pumping in of money by the national federation and developing a solid grassroots programme that focussed on drafting talented youngsters into the national team. And the current bunch finished second in the U-21 World Cup in 2016," the 24-year-old Van Doren said. McLeod didn't get carried away by the boys' 2016 Junior World Cup show in India, drafting just three of them into the squad for this senior World Cup.

Source: dna December 18, 2018 00:33 UTC