Jalandhar, October 2026 : Defending champions India continued their winning run in the men's Asian Champions Trophy hockey tournament, registering a convincing 4-1 victory over Japan on Friday to secure their third consecutive win. Striker Abhishek Nain scored twice, while captain Harmanpreet Singh and Vishnukant Singh contributed a goal each to help the five-time champions maintain their unbeaten record.
Abhishek found the net in the 11th and 51st minutes, while Harmanpreet converted India's only penalty corner in the 47th minute. Vishnukant completed the scoring with a field goal in the 56th minute. Japan's lone goal came through Shota Yamada, who converted a penalty stroke in the 15th minute.
India had begun their campaign with a dominant 13-0 victory over Bangladesh before defeating China 5-2 in their second match. The win over Japan further strengthened their position in the tournament. Japan, meanwhile, had entered the contest after securing victories against South Korea (3-2) and Bangladesh (1-0).
India will next take on Malaysia on Sunday. The Indian side had recently defeated Malaysia 5-1 at the Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games. Japan will face China in its next fixture.
The match against Japan began at a relatively slow pace for India, with the visitors enjoying early possession and creating pressure on the Indian defence. Japan earned a penalty corner in the second minute, but Ken Nagayoshi's attempt following a variation went wide.
India initially struggled to establish coordination between the midfield and forward line. Vice-captain Hardik Singh played a key role in linking the two departments, while the absence of Mandeep Singh affected India's ability to create clear-cut scoring opportunities.
However, the hosts gradually settled into the contest and took the lead in the 11th minute through a well-executed field goal. Hardik initiated the move before finding Sukhjeet Singh inside the circle near the left corner. Sukhjeet then set up Abhishek, who was playing his 150th international match, and the forward made no mistake in guiding the ball into the net.
Japan responded by increasing the pressure and earning more penalty corners. Towards the end of the first quarter, one such attempt resulted in a penalty stroke after the ball struck Indian defender Sanjay. Yamada stepped up and beat goalkeeper Suraj Karkera to level the scores at 1-1 in the 15th minute.
Japan maintained a compact defensive structure and used effective man-to-man marking to restrict India's attacking moves. The visitors successfully kept the Indian forwards at bay, and both teams went into the half-time break with the scores level. India, notably, had failed to earn a penalty corner in the first two quarters.
The contest remained evenly balanced after the change of ends. In the 33rd minute, Hardik created another opportunity for Sukhjeet, but his attempt sailed over the goal. Japan earned a penalty corner in the 36th minute, but captain Raiki Fujishima's flick went over the post.
India also came close to regaining the lead when Shilanand Lakra attempted a reverse hit after receiving a defence-splitting pass from Amit Rohidas. However, Japanese goalkeeper Takumi Kitagawa produced a timely save to deny him.
With the scores still locked at 1-1 after three quarters, India stepped up their attacking intensity in the final period. The hosts earned their first penalty corner in the 46th minute, and captain Harmanpreet converted it with a powerful low flick in the 47th minute to put India ahead 2-1.
The goal shifted the momentum firmly in India's favour. The hosts continued to apply pressure on the Japanese defence, and Abhishek extended the lead in the 51st minute with his second goal of the evening following another well-coordinated attacking move.
India maintained control during the closing stages, with Vishnukant sealing the result in the 56th minute. He finished a perfectly placed aerial pass from Harmanpreet to make it 4-1 and complete India's third successive victory in the tournament.
The emphatic win underlined India's ability to raise their intensity in the decisive stages of a closely contested match as they prepare for Sunday's encounter against Malaysia.
