In the Hero Asian Champions Trophy being played for the first time on Punjab soil, India defeated Malaysia 4-2 today on the fourth day of the league stage at Jalandhar, courtesy a hat-trick by Captain Harmanpreet Singh. South Korea defeated Bangladesh 5-0 while the match between Japan and China ended in a 2-2 draw. A flood of hockey lovers thronged the Olympian Surjit Hockey Stadium today to witness the high octane clashes.
With today's results, all four teams qualifying for the semi-finals have been decided. After today's results, Japan and South Korea have secured their place in the last four, while India and Malaysia had already reached the semi-finals. India continues to lead the table at the top spot. The final league rankings of the four semi-finalists are yet to be decided. The last three league matches of the league stage - China vs Bangladesh, Malaysia vs Japan, and India vs South Korea - will be played tomorrow on November 2, at Jalandhar, after which the semi-final line-up for November 4 at Mohali will become clear. China and Bangladesh, being out of the semi-final race, will play for the 5th position on November 4 at Mohali. Japan qualified for the semi-finals today with two wins and one draw, and South Korea with its second win, while India and Malaysia had already qualified.
In the third and last match of the day played between India and Malaysia, both already in the semi-finals, in a jampacked Olympian Surjit Hockey Stadium, India registered its fourth consecutive win by defeating Malaysia 4-2. The score was tied 1-1 at half time.
For India, Captain Harmanpreet Singh scored a hat-trick today. Harmanpreet scored two goals from penalty corners and the third from a penalty stroke. Sukhjeet Singh scored a beautiful field goal. With this, Harmanpreet Singh's total tally in the tournament has reached eight goals and he is currently the top scorer. For Malaysia, Akhimullah and Shello Silverius scored the goals.
The second match of the day between Japan and China ended in a 2-2 draw. It was a very thrilling match full of fluctuating fortunes. China took the lead first with a goal by Zhang Jialang, which remained till three quarters. In the fourth quarter, Japan made a comeback scoring two goals to take the lead once. The goals were scored by Raiki Fujishima and Yuma Nagai. China equalized 2-2 three seconds before the final whistle through a penalty corner goal by Benhai Chen. With this draw, China is out of the semi-final race.
The first match of the day was played between South Korea and Bangladesh. South Korea registered a 5-0 win to book its semi-final berth with its second victory in the tournament. The winning team was leading 2-0 at half time. It was also the fourth consecutive defeat for Bangladesh. With this defeat, Bangladesh is also out of the semi-final race. For South Korea, Son Da - In scored three and Park Geunwoo scored two goals.
