By Asia Samachar | Hockey |
NAGOYA: Defending champions India survived a stirring Pakistan comeback before Abhishek struck in the final minute to seal a dramatic 4-3 victory and a place in the Asian Games 2026 men’s hockey final on Thursday.
India appeared firmly in control after racing to a 3-0 lead through captain Harmanpreet Singh’s brace and a Sukhjeet Singh goal, but Pakistan fought back to level the semi-final before Abhishek delivered the decisive blow in the dying seconds.
Harmanpreet converted penalty corners in the fifth and 13th minutes before Sukhjeet made it 3-0 in the 23rd minute after being set up by Shilanand Lakra, according to a report at Olympics.com.
Pakistan captain Abu Mahmood pulled one back from a penalty corner just before half-time. Pakistan then turned up the pressure after the break. Hannan Shahid capitalised on a defensive error in the 45th minute before setting up Waheed Rana four minutes into the final quarter to make it 3-3.
With the contest seemingly heading for a shootout, Abhishek’s attempted cross in the 60th minute took a deflection off Sufyan Khan and wrong-footed goalkeeper Raza Ali, sending India into their second successive Asian Games final.
The match also marked a major personal milestone for Indian forward Mandeep Singh, who made his 300th international appearance.
India will meet either Malaysia or South Korea in Saturday’s gold-medal match, with victory securing a direct berth at the Los Angeles 2028 Olympics.
India are seeking to retain the Asian Games crown they won at Hangzhou 2022. Their women’s team has also reached the final, where they will face China on Friday. It is the first Asian Games since 1998 in which both Indian hockey teams have reached their respective finals.
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