Sreejesh delivered a stern dressing-down to his players, emphasising that the “real test” was only just beginning. “The way I used to give the players [mouthful] as a player, I gave the same to the players as a coach. That’s it. I sweetly made them understand that it was not final.

“To keep your feet on the ground is most important, and we need to focus on the next match,” Sreejesh stated after the match at the Mayor Radhakrishnan Hockey Stadium on Friday. “I will leave them today because I will go, have food and sleep, but they are going to get a mouthful tomorrow morning.”

Areas for improvement against Germany

Looking ahead to the semifinal clash against defending champion Germany on Sunday, the double Olympic medallist was quick to point out critical areas where the team must raise its game to reclaim the title.

“Belgium played really well today, we expect the same from Germany too in the next match. So we have to raise our level according to the occasion. And what we need to do is score. That’s the most important thing.”

“We need to get that final touch. We were running the game, we controlled the game, we created a lot of chances, but once you are inside D, you can’t give away ball possession,” he added.

The coach stressed on the importance of learning from errors rather than celebrating success, saying, “Another important thing is to focus on the mistakes you have committed.

“What is easy is to keep in your mind what good things you have done in the match, but what is important is to learn from the mistakes we have committed inside the opponent’s D and how to get more outcomes.”

The former national team goalkeeper acknowledged that the pressure of the quarterfinal played a role in the team’s shortcomings but demanded more clinical execution.

“There is a pressure which comes with quarterfinals, and more pressure with semifinals and finals. From the quarterfinal stage, we can’t take any team easy,” he opined.