2024-09-14 21:00:40
Hulunbuir (China): Sukhjit Singh scored twice as defending champions India beat Japan 5-1 in a league match of the men’s Asian Champions Trophy hockey tournament here on Monday to register their second consecutive win. Sukhjit scored in the second and 60th minutes while Abhishek (third), Sanjay (17th) and Uttam Singh (54th) were the other Indian goal scorers.
Matsumoto Kazumasa scored for Japan in the 41st minute. Four-time champions India, who beat China 3-0 in their opening round-robin league match on Sunday, got two penalty corners while Japan got five.
Japan needed to make a big improvement after the break and their performance was better in the third quarter. They showed more intensity on the ball and attacked India from all three sides. Eventually, the goal came from Kazumasa Matsumoto.
Despite the two-goal lead, India had to be cautious in the final quarter. Japan kept pace with them. They tried hard but India’s defence did not break and then in the 54th minute Uttam Singh scored the team’s fourth goal of the evening. Mohammad Raheel played a superb ball to find Jarmanpreet Singh in the space on the right. The defender then passed it to Uttam, who made no mistake from close range. With a few seconds remaining in the final quarter, Sukhjeet scored his second goal of the match.
The Harmanpreet Singh-led team will face the last stage’s runner-up team Malaysia on Wednesday. Tuesday is a rest day. After the round-robin league between six teams, the top four teams will qualify for the semi-finals to be played on September 16. The final will be held on September 17.