Media365
Captain Harmanpreet Singh rose to the occasion with a hat-trick of penalty corners as India edged past China 4–3 in a tense Pool A clash to open their Asian Cup hockey campaign on a winning note on Friday in Rajgir, Bihar. China struck first through Du Shihao in the 12th minute, putting the hosts under pressure early. But India hit back strongly in the second quarter with quick goals. Jugraj Singh equalised in the 18th minute, and just two minutes later, Harmanpreet converted his first penalty corner to hand India a 2–1 lead at half-time. The advantage stretched further in the 33rd minute when the Indian skipper unleashed his trademark drag flick, beating the Chinese goalkeeper despite a partial save. At 3–1, the momentum seemed firmly in India’s favour. However, China refused to back down. Chen Benhai pulled one back in the 35th minute with a penalty corner conversion, and Gao Jiesheng struck again in the 42nd to level the contest heading into the final quarter. With the game in the balance, Harmanpreet once again delivered. In the 47th minute, he powered home his third penalty corner, restoring India’s lead and completing his hat-trick. The strike proved decisive as India held on despite late pressure from the Chinese forwards. The 4–3 result gave the hosts a crucial opening victory in their Pool A campaign, though the match highlighted areas for improvement in defence against set-piece situations. Harmanpreet’s clinical finishing from penalty corners, however, underlined his status as one of the best drag flickers.
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India will now look to build on the hard-fought win as they prepare for their remaining group-stage matches in the tournament. Their next Pool A fixture is against Japan on August 31, Sunday.Other results today
- Malayasia beat Bangladesh 4-1
- Korea won 7-0 against Chinese Taipei
- Japan defeated Kazakhstan 7-0
