India beat Japan 4-1 to win record sixth Asian Champions Trophy, score four late goals in Mohali final

India are Asian champions for a record sixth time. Trailing Japan for more than 40 minutes, the defending champions scored four goals in the closing stages to win the final of the Hero Asian Champions Trophy 4-1 at the Olympian Balbir Singh Senior International Hockey Stadium in Mohali on Thursday, 5 November, and keep the title on home soil. It is India’s third Asian Champions Trophy title in a row, after 2023 and 2024.

Japan struck first. Kazumasa Matsumoto dribbled into the circle in the first quarter and beat the Indian goalkeeper with a reverse flick from a tight angle, and Japan took that lead into half-time. Their goalkeeper kept out a strike from Hardik Singh and, early in the third quarter, a drag flick from captain Harmanpreet Singh.

Four goals after the 40th minute

The equaliser came late in the third quarter from a penalty corner. Instead of flicking, Harmanpreet slipped the ball to Shilanand Lakra, who slotted it in, and the goal stood after a video referral. In the fourth quarter Dilpreet Singh put India ahead with a turn and shot after Hardik Singh’s run into the circle, Jugraj Singh drag-flicked a penalty corner into the corner, and Vivek Sagar Prasad pounced on a loose rebound to make it 4-1.

India went through the tournament unbeaten. They opened with a 13-0 win over Bangladesh in Jalandhar and beat South Korea 8-1 in the semi-final, while Japan reached the final by beating Malaysia in a shoot-out after a goalless semi-final. Before the final, Hardik Singh was presented with a special jersey marking his 200th senior international appearance.