Rajgir, Bihar: In their last Super 4s game on Saturday, the Indian men’s hockey team beat China 7-0, which earned them a spot in the Asia Cup final. The win not only kept India at the top of the Super 4s table, but it also showed how good they are at both offense and defense.
From the first whistle, the Indian team was in charge, and most of the game took place in the Chinese half. The defense of the home team was seldom challenged, as they didn’t let up a single penalty corner. In the fourth minute, Shilanand Lakra scored the first goal. In the seventh minute, Dilpreet Singh scored again, and in the 18th minute, Mandeep Singh made it 3-0.
After the break for halftime, India kept attacking without stopping. In the 37th minute, Raj Kumar Pal scored, and in the 39th minute, Sukhjeet Singh scored again. Abhishek owned the last quarter, scoring two goals in the 46th and 50th minutes to finish off the 7-0 sweep.
India ended the Super 4s with seven points, having drawn 2-2 with Korea and thrashed Malaysia 4-1 before their big win. Now they will play Korea, who has won the tournament five times, in the final on Sunday. The victor of this important match will get a direct spot in next year’s World Cup, which will be held in Belgium and the Netherlands.
Korea won the other Super 4s match against Malaysia in a thrilling comeback, 4–3, to earn a spot in the final. Hyenhong Kim (24th and 51st), Seyong Oh (44th), and Jungjun Lee (50th) all scored goals for Korea. The third-place match will be between Malaysia and China.
Kazakhstan beat Chinese Taipei 6–4 in an earlier classification match to finish seventh out of eight teams in the tournament.
Match Statistics & Standings:
Final Score:
- India: 7
- China: 0
Indian Goal Scorers:
- Shilanand Lakra (4′)
- Dilpreet Singh (7′)
- Mandeep Singh (18′)
- Raj Kumar Pal (37′)
- Sukhjeet Singh (39′)
- Abhishek (46′, 50′)
Super 4s Standings:
- India: 7 points
- Korea: 4 points
- Malaysia: 3 points
- China: 3 points