-Japan and South Korea Seal Semi-Final Berths; India Remain Unbeaten in the League Stage
Jalandhar, November 2 (Sports Desk)
Captain Harmanpreet Singh produced a sensational hat-trick to guide India to a 4–2 victory over Malaysia on the fourth day of the league stage of the Hero Asian Champions Trophy, being held on Punjab soil for the first time. The high-octane encounter took place at the packed Olympian Surjit Hockey Stadium in Jalandhar on Saturday.
In the other matches of the day, South Korea defeated Bangladesh 5–0, while Japan and China played out an exciting 2–2 draw. Hockey enthusiasts turned out in large numbers at the stadium to witness the thrilling contests.
With these results, all four semi-finalists have been confirmed. Japan qualified with two wins and a draw, while South Korea secured their place with their second victory in the tournament. India and Malaysia had already booked their semi-final berths.
India continue to occupy the top spot in the points table, although the final league standings of the four qualified teams are yet to be determined.
The final three league matches will be played on November 2 in Jalandhar, with China taking on Bangladesh, Malaysia facing Japan, and India meeting South Korea. These fixtures will determine the final standings and the semi-final match-ups scheduled for November 4 in Mohali.
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China and Bangladesh, having been eliminated from the semi-final race, will compete for fifth place on November 4 in Mohali.
Harmanpreet’s Hat-Trick Leads India to Fourth Consecutive Victory
In the third and final match of the day, India delivered an impressive performance to defeat Malaysia 4–2, registering their fourth consecutive victory in the tournament. Both teams had already qualified for the semi-finals before the match.
The contest was evenly poised at half-time, with the score tied at 1–1. However, Indian captain Harmanpreet Singh emerged as the star of the evening, scoring three goals to complete a memorable hat-trick.
Harmanpreet converted two penalty corners and scored his third goal through a penalty stroke. Sukhjeet Singh added a superb field goal to complete India’s tally.
With his three goals, Harmanpreet’s tournament tally rose to eight, making him the leading goal-scorer of the competition.
For Malaysia, Akhimullah and Shello Silverius found the net, but their efforts were not enough to prevent India from securing another victory.
Japan and China Share Points in a Dramatic 2–2 Draw
The second match of the day between Japan and China produced an exciting contest, with momentum swinging between the two sides before they settled for a 2–2 draw.
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China took the lead through Zhang Jialang, holding their advantage until the fourth quarter. Japan then staged a comeback, scoring twice through Raiki Fujishima and Yuma Nagai to take the lead.
However, China refused to give up and secured a dramatic equaliser just three seconds before the final whistle. Benhai Chen converted a penalty corner to make it 2–2.
The result confirmed Japan’s qualification for the semi-finals, while China were eliminated from contention for the last four.
South Korea Thrash Bangladesh 5–0
In the opening match of the day, South Korea registered a commanding 5–0 victory over Bangladesh to secure their semi-final berth.
South Korea dominated the contest and went into half-time with a comfortable 2–0 lead. Son Da-in scored a hat-trick, while Park Geun-woo contributed two goals to complete the emphatic win.
The defeat marked Bangladesh’s fourth consecutive loss in the tournament, ending their hopes of reaching the semi-finals.
With the four semi-finalists now confirmed, attention turns to the final league fixtures on November 2, which will determine the standings and the semi-final pairings for the November 4 matches in Mohali.
