India tame Pakistan in Asian Champions Trophy thriller

ISLAMABAD: India edged out fighting Pakistan 2-1 to finish the league stage unbeaten in the Hero Asian Champions Trophy 2024 at the Moqi National Hockey Centre Inner Mongolia (China) Saturday.

Pakistan took the runners-up spot on the points table that will now see them playing against third-place finishers China in the semis on Monday while India will face Korea for a place in the final.

The much-anticipated clash between Pakistan and India saw the greenshirts dominating most of the time with India coming back strongly through captain Harmanpreet Singh who led from the front by scoring a crucial brace on penalty corner in the 13th and 19th minutes.

Earlier, Ahmad Nadeem had given Pakistan an early lead with a goal in the 8th minute.

Despite falling behind early, India fought back swiftly, converting their first penalty corner through Harmanpreet.

The tempo remained high throughout the match, with Pakistan creating several half-chances and earning penalty corners, but India’s defense, led by goalkeeper Krishan Pathak, held firm. A missed penalty corner from Pakistan’s Sufiyan Khan just before halftime kept India’s 2-1 lead intact, and they maintained their advantage despite relentless Pakistani pressure in the second half.

India controlled the ball at the start of the third quarter, with flank-to-flank passing to push Pakistan deep into their circle.

A missed tackle by Sufiyan Khan on Araijeet Singh Hundal at the top of the circle earned India their third penalty corner of the match, but Harmanpreet’s drag-flick was blocked by Pakistan’s first-rusher.

The latter phase of the third quarter saw Pakistan increase their intensity. They earned a series of penalty corners, but Indian goalie Krishan Pathak stood tall to deny Pakistan an equaliser and ended the quarter with a 2-1 lead.

India earned back-to-back penalty corners at the start of the final quarter, but Pakistan’s defense averted the danger.

Tempers flared as both teams pushed each other from one end to the other, searching for an opening.

Ashraf Waheed Rana received a 10-minute yellow card for a physical foul on Jugraj Singh in India’s circle.

With the extra man, India mounted pressure on Pakistan with relentless attacks but missed out on capitalising as they kept losing possession in the final third.

With two minutes to go, Manpreet Singh received a yellow card, leaving both teams with 10 men apiece.

Nilakanta Sharma, Hero of the Match, emphasized the team’s need for improvement, saying, “Although we won, we kept losing the ball and it got us in trouble. We need to protect the ball better going forward.”

In another dramatic encounter, Korea and Malaysia battled to a 3-3 draw in a high-octane contest.

Both teams fought till the last second to stay in contention for the semifinals, with Korea snatching a last-minute goal to deny Malaysia a victory.

Malaysia took the lead through goals by Azrai Abu Kamal (28’), Norsyafiq Sumantri (35’), and Faizal Saari (55’), but Korea’s resilient attack, led by Yang Jihun, who scored twice (4’, 60+), and Cheoleon Park (42’), ensured a split of the points. Malaysia dominated much of the game, firing 13 shots in the opening quarter, but it was Korea who capitalized on their opponents’ defensive errors to stay in the match.

The home crowd in Moqi celebrated a vital 2-0 victory for China against Japan, which saw the spirited team climb to No. 3 in the standings, securing their spot in the semifinals. Goals by Benhai Chen (7’) and Jieming Chao (25’) delivered a well-earned win for China, who now prepares to face Pakistan in the first semifinal on Monday.

China’s defensive strength shone throughout the match, with goalie Caiyu Wang making several crucial saves, especially in the third quarter

when Japan earned multiple penalty corners but failed to convert. Japan’s attackers mounted pressure,

but China fought hard to come away with three points.

Hero of the Match Benhai Chen said, “We did a lot of preparation and wanted to win today and make the semifinals. Now we’ll focus on preparing for Pakistan.”

With the league stage concluded, the Hero Asian Champions Trophy semifinals will see China face Pakistan and India take on Korea on Monday, promising even more thrilling hockey action.