September 10, 2024: Thanks to two goals from Sukjit Singh, former champion India secured their second consecutive win in the Men’s Asia Champions Trophy hockey tournament by defeating Japan 5-1 in today’s league match. Sukjit scored in the 2nd and 60th minutes, while Abhishek, Sanjay, and Uttam Singh added goals in the 3rd, 17th, and 54th minutes, respectively. Matsumoto Kazumasa scored for Japan in the 41st minute.
India, who had previously defeated China 3-0 in their opening round-robin match, was awarded two penalty corners, while Japan earned five. India took the lead early in the 2nd minute with a brilliant field goal by Sukjit. They doubled their lead shortly after when Abhishek outmaneuvered several Japanese defenders and surprised the goalkeeper. In the second quarter, Sanjay converted a penalty corner into a goal in the 17th minute. By halftime, India had a solid 3-0 lead, while Japan tried to recover from the initial setbacks.
Japan, who finished third in the previous session of the tournament, intensified their attacks and earned a penalty corner in the 21st minute, but their drag flickers failed against the Indian defense. India quickly counterattacked, with Jugraj Singh earning a free hit that did not result in a goal. India maintained their dominance with another goal in the second quarter, making 11 circle entries and taking three shots on goal.
After the halftime break, India continued to push, but Japan managed to score in the 41st minute through Kazumasa. Indian goalkeeper Krishan Pathak could not make a decisive save. The fourth goal for India came from Germanpreet Singh’s excellent stick work, setting up Uttam Singh for a fine field goal. Sukjit then added another goal in the 60th minute with Abhishek’s assistance.
Match hero Abhishek said, “Today the whole team made an effort, and we focused on the basics. We made good attacks and ensured we paid attention to goal-scoring.” Under the leadership of Harmanpreet Singh, the team will face Malaysia, the previous session’s champions, on Wednesday. Tuesday will be a rest day. After the round-robin league among six teams, the top four will qualify for the semifinals on September 16, with the final scheduled for September 17.
