India Rout China in 7-0 Super 4 Win, Advance to Asia Cup Final

India secure a commanding 7-0 win over China to reach the Asia Cup hockey final, where they will face Korea.

India secured a spot in the Men’s Asia Cup hockey final with a commanding 7-0 win over China in their last Super 4s match on Saturday, September 6

India controlled the match throughout, with goals from Shilanand Lakra (4′), Dilpreet Singh (7′), Mandeep Singh (18′), Raj Kumar Pal (37′), Sukhjeet Singh (39′), and Abhishek (46′, 50′).

This victory saw India finish at the top of the Super 4s table with seven points, ahead of defending champions Korea, who have four points. India will take on five-time champions Korea in Sunday’s final, battling for a spot in next year’s World Cup, co-hosted by Belgium and the Netherlands. Meanwhile, China and Malaysia will face off for third place, also on Sunday.

Korea kept their hopes alive by rallying from behind to beat Malaysia 4-3 in a crucial Super 4 clash.

In their match against China on Saturday, India showcased total control, keeping play mostly in the Chinese half. The defence had a quiet outing, with China unable to break through the circle or win a single penalty corner.

The Indian side started strong, breaking the deadlock in the 4th minute when Harmanpreet Singh launched a precise aerial ball from the half-line to Jarmanpreet Singh, who set up Shilanand for the opener.

After Shilanand’s early strike, India remained on the offensive and earned a penalty corner. Harmanpreet’s shot was initially stopped by Chinese goalie Weihao Wang, but Dilpreet converted the rebound to put India 2-0 up in the 7th minute.

In the 13th minute, Sanjay unleashed a powerful slap shot from the left corner but missed the target by a narrow margin. Five minutes later, India earned their second penalty corner. Vivek Sagar Prasad fired a shot that the Chinese defence blocked, but Mandeep pounced on the rebound and smashed it into the net to make it 3-0 in the 18th minute.

The Indian attackers kept up the pressure inside the Chinese circle. In the 23rd minute, Hardik Singh fired a fierce shot, but goalkeeper Wang made a strong save. After halftime, India maintained their dominance. Dilpreet unleashed a powerful high shot, but Wang responded with an acrobatic save to deny him again.

India struck again in the 37th minute when Raj Kumar Pal finished a move set up by Vivek Sagar Prasad and assisted by Dilpreet. Just minutes later, India earned another penalty corner but couldn’t convert the opportunity.

In the 39th minute, Sukhjeet made it 5-0 with a diving slap shot, brilliantly set up by Sumit and Dilpreet. India kept the momentum going in the final quarter, with Abhishek scoring twice—first after a sharp one-two exchange with Dilpreet and Sukhjeet, and then with a fierce reverse hit, capitalising on a deflection from Shilanand.

Earlier, Malaysia’s defeat to Korea dashed their hopes of reaching the final. Korea’s goals came from Hyehong Kim (24th, 51st), Seyong Oh (44th), and Jungjun Lee (50th). Malaysia replied with goals by Fitri Saari (9th), Aiman Rozemi (29th), and Syed Cholan (31st).

Korea fought back fiercely in the final 15 minutes, scoring two quick goals to overturn the deficit and secure the win, despite trailing for most of the first three quarters.

In another match, Kazakhstan defeated Chinese Taipei 6-4 to claim seventh place in the tournament.

Kazakhstan’s Agymtay Duisengazy dominated the scoreboard with five goals (12th, 23rd, 30th, 36th, 56th), while Altynbek Aitkaliyev contributed one more in the 47th minute. For Chinese Taipei, Yu-Cheng Chang scored early in the 7th minute, and Tsung-Yu Hsieh netted a hat-trick with goals in the 13th, 18th, and 32nd minutes.