Rajgir: The Indian men’s hockey team enjoyed a comfortable 7-0 win over China, in their third Super 4s game in the Men’s Asia Cup Rajgir, Bihar 2025 at the Rajgir Hockey Stadium here on Saturday. Abhishek (46′, 50′), Shilanand Lakra (4′), Dilpreet Singh (7′), Mandeep Singh (18′), Raj Kumar Pal (37′), and Sukhjeet Singh (39′) were the goal scorers for India.
India asserted complete dominance right from the first whistle and have now reached the final of the prestigious tournament, where they will face defending champions Korea on Sunday.
India started strong with two crucial goals in the first quarter. In the fourth minute, Harmanpreet Singh delivered an aerial ball to Jarmanpreet Singh on the right flank, who collected it perfectly and crossed to Shilanand Lakra (4′), who was waiting on the far post to score the opening goal.
Three minutes later, India received the first penalty corner as Captain Harmanpreet Singh’s drag-flick was stopped in front of the goal, but Dilpreet Singh (7′) was quick to pounce on the rebound to extend the lead.
The trend followed in the second quarter as India added another goal with their relentless attacking, limiting China to their own half. India had a great opportunity in the 17th minute as Abhishek provided a great cross into the circle for Mandeep Singh, but he couldn’t make contact. In the very next minute, India received another penalty corner, which was converted by the home side.
Harmanpreet Singh’s drag-flick was stopped by the first rusher; however, the ball went to Vivek Sagar Prasad, who took a shot on the rebound that was saved by the keeper, but Mandeep Singh (18′) was quick to react as he finished the loose ball into the net.
With a sizable lead in hand, India continued to pressure China and scored two more goals in the third quarter. In the 37th minute, Shilanand Lakra did well to provide a cross into the circle for Dilpreet Singh, who deflected the ball over everyone for Raj Kumar Pal (37′) to tap the ball into the net with ease.
Moments later, Dilpreet Singh continued his great performance with a pass into the middle of the circle from the baseline to an unmarked Sukhjeet Singh (39′), who found the back of the net with a powerful finish to claim India’s fifth goal.
Despite the comfortable position, India refused to back down and looked for more goals to add to their tally. In the very first minute of the final quarter, Sukhjeet Singh made an incredible solo run down the middle to beat multiple defenders before passing the ball to Abhishek (46′), catching the goalkeeper off his line, as the forward finished the ball into the empty net.
With 10 minutes left on the clock, Abhishek (50′) registered another goal to his name, this time with a back-handed shot past the goalkeeper. From attack to defence, India completely controlled the narrative and will now gear up for the final against Korea with an eye on the coveted trophy.
India will play Korea next in the final on Sunday at 7:30 PM IST.
(IANS)
