India, Malaysia in Semi-Finals

India beat Japan 4-1 at the Olympian Surjit Singh Hockey Stadium in Jalandhar on Friday to secure a semi-final berth in the Asian Champions Trophy 2026. It was India’s third successive win of the tournament after beating Bangladesh and China.

Abhishek, who was playing his 150th international fixture, scored a brace in the 11th and 51st minutes. Harmanpreet Singh scored in the 47th minute and Vishnu Kant Singh scored in the 56th minute.

Shota Yamada was Japan’s only goal-scorer, converting a penalty stroke in the 15th minute. India, the defending champions and five-time winners of the tournament, have nine points from three matches and are unbeaten in the competition.

Match details

India came into the contest on the back of a 13-0 victory over Bangladesh and a 5-2 victory over China.

Japan started the match on a high note as they earned a penalty corner in the second minute but the variation adopted by them did not produce a goal. India eventually grew into the contest and scored their first goal in the 11th minute.

Vivek Sagar Prasad provided the ball to Sukhjeet Singh, who turned sharply and cut it back for Abhishek to finish.

Yamada pulled one back for Japan in the 15th minute by converting a penalty stroke awarded to the team courtesy of the ball hitting Sanjay’s forearm on the goal line. Harmanpreet converted the penalty corner into a goal with a powerful drag-flick in the 47th minute.

Abhishek then scored four minutes later, finishing a beautiful passing exchange involving him, Dilpreet Singh and Sanjay. Vishnu Kant brought down Harmanpreet’s diagonal aerial pass outside the circle and scored the fifth goal for India.

Standings and context

India are at the top of the standings with nine points and a goal difference of +19. Malaysia also have nine points but are placed second with a goal difference of +8.

Japan are in third position with six points, while South Korea are next with three points. China and Bangladesh are yet to register a point after three matches. The Asian Champions Trophy is an event held annually by the Asian Hockey Federation since 2011.

It features Asia’s six top field hockey teams competing in a round robin format. India is the most successful team in the tournament history, winning the trophy five times.

The Asian Hockey Federation is the governing body for the sport of field hockey in Asia and has 37 member associations in 2026.

What happens next

The remaining league-stage matches will be played on November 1 and 2, while the knockout matches are scheduled for November 4 and 5. India will lock horns with Malaysia in their next game on Sunday.

India’s chief coach Craig Fulton said, “We defeated them 5-1 in the Asian Games, but Malaysia has always been a tricky opponent for us. I just think I’m glad we’re playing a good team and they’ll challenge us.

” After two easy outings against Bangladesh and China, the Indians faced tough opposition from Japan on Friday. The Indians did attack in numbers but failed to breach their resolute defence.

After a mediocre first three quarters, the Indians came out all guns blazing in the fourth and final quarter, and pumped in three goals to register their third win.

Forward Abhishek, who played his 150th match for the country on Friday, was the star of the day, scoring two beautiful field goals. But Nain will need more support from his fellow strikers.

The Indians were slow to get off the blocks against Japan which they cannot afford against an unpredictable side like Asian Games silver medallist Malaysia.

Asian Champions Trophy standings

Related on Apex Sports News

• Uganda women reach kabaddi semi-finals as India face Sri Lanka

• India hockey jersey row: Hockey India secretary says he knew as much as Dilip Tirkey

• Yuvraj Singh backs Abhishek Sharma and Vaibhav Sooryavanshi for India ODIs

Sources

• khelnow.com

• rediff.com

• punjabnewsline.com

• etvbharat.com

• Photo: fh.mum1 from Louisville, KY, USA, CC BY 2.0 (Wikimedia Commons)