Abhishek was awarded the Hero of the Match. (Image Credit: Hockey India via X)
India clinched their place in the Super 4s of the 2025 Hockey Asia Cup after beating Japan 3-2 in Pool A at the Sports Complex, Rajgir. India started by narrowly defeating China 4-3, thanks to a double by Harmanpreet Singh, and were ignored with the home crowd hoping they would dominate against Japan.
The hosts raced out of the gates. In the first five minutes Mandeep Singh sprinted through the Japan defence to score after play had been opened up. A few minutes later Captain Harmanpreet scored from a drag flick penalty corner, and India quickly led 2-0 in the 5th minute. Japan struck back in the third quarter when Kawabe found the back of the net during a counterattack after India overcommitted going forward, reducing the deficit to 2-1.
With the game close and tension mounting as Japan hunted for the equaliser, India held on and then with minutes remaining in the third quarter, it was Harmanpreet who was there to save the day again, with another penalty corner drag flick, as he restored India’s cushion back to 3-1.
The final quarter provided some festival end to end action. India went down to 10 players after a yellow card was shown to Harmanpreet Singh, but with minutes remaining, Japan scored again to make it 3-2 and threaten the deficit.
As time expired, India held strong in the last moments of play to clinch the win and stay first in Pool A. With this win, India has now established itself as the leading hockey playing nation in Asia and is now one game away from finding themselves at the automatic qualification spot for the 2026 FIH Hockey World Cup. With Japan and China tied in the pool, India’s mental performance in this match under pressure will aid them in the next step. India will next meet Kazakhstan in their final pool match. On paper, this match may look less difficult, but it is still vital for confidence as they move into the Super 4s. Meanwhile, Japan will now need to regroup quickly, but they must also find a way to have their eyes on the other matches and against them into the hopes for qualification.
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