Asia Cup Hockey: Captain Harmanpreet Singh Leads India To Thrilling 3-2 Win Against Japan

Riding on captain Harmanpreet Singh's brace, India have secured a 3-2 win against Japan in an Asia Cup Hockey encounter at the Bihar Sports University Hockey Stadium in Rajgir. With two wins in as many matches, India now top Pool A.

India Took An Early Lead

Mandeep Singh opened the scoring for India at the stroke of the 4th minute, and since then, India dominated possession almost throughout the match. Failure to convert penalty corners will be a massive concern for coach Craig Fulton going ahead and the Indian team will be eager to plug their gaps when they face Kazakhstan on Monday at the same venue.

With this win, India have secured a spot in the Super 4s stage as they progress ahead in the tournament. The match also marked an important milestone for Indian goalkeeper Krishan B Pathak as he celebrated his 150th international game.

India made a bright start to the first quarter, scoring two back-to-back goals in the first five minutes to assert their dominance. In the fourth minute, Sukhjeet Singh collected the ball on the baseline and played a perfect pass to Mandeep Singh (4') as he beat his marker in front of the goal and finished it into the net to open the scoring. Harmanpreet doubled the lead quickly with powerful hit from the penalty corner in the 5th minute.

Japan Came All Guns Blazing In Second Half

India missed a number of opportunities to convert penalty corners; otherwise, the scoreline would have been much more positive in favour of the home side. Japan's Kawabe scored both goals in the second half, taking advantage of a leaky Indian defence.

India took back the two-goal cushion just before the end of the third quarter as “Sarpanch Sahab” converted his second penalty corner of the match, and it also proved to be the winning goal for the home side. Harmanpreet Singh was given a yellow card in the final minute as India were down to 10 men, but they slowed down the proceedings and held their ground to protect the slim lead and emerge victorious.