With a much-needed victory over Malaysia on Thursday, India enter their final Super 4 match of the Men Hockey Asia Cup 2025 with confidence. Their opponent now is China, with whom they had drawn 4-3 in the group stage. As the Rajgir Hockey Stadium is poised to host a high intensity tournament, a spot in the final is at stake.
India’s Qualification Scenarios
It will be easy to be victorious in India. Three defeats of China would raise them to 7 defeats, which no other team can surpass in the Super 4 ranking. A tie is sufficient, since that would limit both Korea and Malaysia to 6 points each.
Well, a loss would leave the door open to drama. And in the event that India loses and Malaysia conquers Korea, China and Malaysia would each lose 6 points at the expense of India. This makes this match a must not lose situation to the hosts.
The Risk of Goal Difference
The margin of defeat will also have to be taken care of in India. Goal difference will be involved in the event that they lose and Malaysia and Korea tie. That is to say that India cannot afford to lose heavily against China should they want to hang onto second place.
The least likely but arguably possible scenario would be that Korea would win by a wide margin over Malaysia and India lose by a wide margin over China. This may result in Korea creeping into the final on better goal difference.
| Pos | Team | P | W | D | L | ScF | ScA | PDiff | Pt |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | India | 2 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 6 | 3 | +3 | 4 |
| 2 | Malaysia | 2 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 3 | 4 | -1 | 3 |
| 3 | China | 2 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 3 | 2 | +1 | 3 |
| 4 | Korea | 2 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 5 | -3 | 1 |
Not only will the final match with the Chinese decide their future, but also rebrand Malaysia and Korea table, with India in the lead.
Asia Cup Hockey 2025: Match & Broadcast Details
The Rajgir Hockey stadium in Bihar is hosting all Super 4 fixtures of the Asia cup 2025. India will play China on September 6 in their last Super 4 match.
The India vs China encounter will also be aired live on Sony Sports Network in India. Sony LIV app and web site also allows online users to stream the event, starting at 7.30 PM IST.
Having the last spot on the line, India will strive to give their best in hockey and dream of winning their fourth Asia cup.
