India beat Japan 2-0 to book Asian Games hockey semi-final berth

By Asia Samachar  | Hockey |

Defending champions India booked their place in the Asian Games 2026 men’s hockey semi-finals with a hard-fought 2-0 victory over hosts Japan on Saturday, maintaining their unbeaten run in Aichi-Nagoya.

Abhishek gave India the breakthrough with a field goal in the 15th minute before captain Harmanpreet Singh converted a penalty corner in the 40th minute. Japan offered considerably more resistance than India’s earlier opponents but were unable to breach the Indian defence.

The victory was India’s fourth consecutive win in Pool A and guaranteed them a place in the last four with one pool fixture remaining.

India will next face Bangladesh on Monday, Sept 28, in their final Pool A encounter before the knockout stage. The semi-finals are scheduled for Oct 1.

Harmanpreet said the team’s immediate focus was on Bangladesh, with India looking to raise their intensity ahead of the knockout rounds.

India have been in commanding form during their title defence. They opened their campaign with a 13-1 victory over Indonesia before routing Sri Lanka 16-1 and defeating South Korea 8-2.

Japan, however, proved a tougher challenge, restricting India to two goals as the defending champions were made to work harder for their fourth victory.

India are seeking to retain the Asian Games gold medal they won at Hangzhou in 2023.

There is an added incentive in Aichi-Nagoya: the Asian Games men’s hockey champions will secure direct qualification for the Los Angeles 2028 Olympic Games.

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