Men's Hockey Asian Champions Trophy
Hockey Asian Champions Trophy 2023: India 1-1 Japan Highlights
(Courtesy : Hockey India)
Hello and welcome to Khel Now’s live blog for the India vs Japan match in Hockey Asian Champions Trophy 2023. Please wait for the blog to load.
The Indian men’s hockey team started their campaign in Asian Champions Trophy 2023 with a thrashing 7-2 victory over China on August 3 (Thursday). Harmanpreet Singh and Vikas Kumar scored a brace each, while Sukhjeet Singh, Akashdeep Singh and Mandeep Singh scored the other three goals. India will hope to continue with the same momentum against Japan in their second game in the tournament.
India vs China Match Report – Asian Champions Trophy 2023
The Indian men’s hockey team made a grand start to their campaign at the Asian Champions Trophy 2023 with an astounding 7-2 win against China here on Thursday. It was raining goals at the Mayor Radhakrishnan Hockey Stadium in Egmore, with Harmanpreet Singh (5′, 8′), Varun Kumar (19′, 30′), Sukhjeet Singh (15′), Akashdeep Singh (16′) entering their name on the scoreboard while charismatic forward Mandeep Singh (40′) achieved a personal milestone as he scored his 100th international goal.
Playing in front of a boisterous home crowd, India got off to a roaring start in the first quarter with assertive attack demolishing the Chinese defence. Having recently etched his name as one of highest goal scorers in FIH Pro League history, Harmanpreet Singh continued his fine form with a perfect flick to score back-to-back goals in the 5th and 8th minute, giving India an early 2-0 lead.
India continued to build on the momentum as the hosts created their third PC in the 15th minute. Though Harmanpreet’s flick was defended, India forward Sukhjeet Singh picked up the rebound to find the gap.
With the crowds backing them, India was quick to score goal no. 4 with stylish forward Akashdeep Singh beating the Chinese defenders with his trademark tomahawk to the post. A minor error, however, by India defender Varun Kumar led to a counter by China who managed to pull off their first goal of the match through E Wenhui in the 18th minute. Varun, however, salvaged the error by scoring one for India in the following minute through a PC.
China, making a comeback in International hockey through the Asian Champions Trophy 2023, were working hard to find their rhythm again. They did well to overcome early setback by patiently looking for a chance in the circle. Jiesheng Gao was on target to beat India’s PC defence and fetch his team an important 2nd goal.
India, however, ended the second quarter on a high with Varun scoring India’s 6th goal in the 30th minute.
Though China began the third quarter with better defence, restricting India’s movement in the 25m mark. They played with confidence, stemming from the two goals they scored in the second quarter. It took about 10 minutes into the third quarter, for India to find another opening in the striking circle.
Indian Sports Live Coverage on Khel Now
- China Masters 2023: Satwik-Chirag defeat home pair He-Ren to reach final
- Sports Minister Anurag Thakur announces first-ever edition of Khelo India Para Games
- Pankaj Advani defeats Sourav Kothari to win record 26th IBSF World Billiards Championship title
- Rohan Bopanna reaches joint career-high WR-3 in men’s doubles ranking
- Neeraj Chopra among five finalists for Men’s World Athlete of the Year Award for 2023
- List of Indian athletes to have secured qualification for Paris Olympics 2024
This time, it was seasoned striker Mandeep Singh who picked up a good variation in PC execution to score India’s 7th goal in the 40th minute. Incidentally, it was also Mandeep’s milestone 100th international goal.
With a comfortable 7-2 lead, India went into the last quarter wanting to end with a bigger margin. Though they created a number of chances including the PC in the dying minutes of the match, China held their nerves to hold on to the scoreline. Their goalie Caiyu Wang did well to stop India’s PC attempt forcing India to be happy with a 7-2 win.
For more updates, follow Khel Now on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram and join our community on Telegram.
- Women's Asian Champions Trophy 2024 updated schedule, fixtures, results, live streaming details
- India crush Thailand to book semi-final berth in Women's Asian Champions Trophy 2024
- Hockey India League appoint Josh Burt as technical delegate; Colin French to be umpire manager for upcoming season
- India beat South Korea to register back-to-back wins in Women's Asian Champions Trophy 2024
- India vs South Korea Highlights, Women's Asian Champions Trophy 2024
- Women's Asian Champions Trophy 2024 updated schedule, fixtures, results, live streaming details
- Women's Asian Champions Trophy: Full list of title winners
- Indian Sports Calendar November 2024: Hockey ACT, FIBA Asia Cup Qualifiers, ATP Finals, India's tour of South Africa and more
- Full updated squad of all teams in Women's Hockey India League
- Hockey India League: Top five most expensive Indian players at women's auction