Asian Champions Trophy 2023: India tops the points table after thumping win over Pakistan
India defeated their arch-rivals Pakistan by 4-0 to finish the league stage at the top of the points table of the Asian Champions Trophy at Mayor Radhakrishnan Stadium.
Pakistan controlled the proceedings early, and Muhammad Sufyan Khan had a shot at the target in the second minute of the match. In the final moments of quarter 1, Harmanpreet Singh scored the first goal of the night with a brilliant drag flick.
India continued to dominate in the second half and earned a penalty corner in the early moments of the quarter. Indian captain Harmanpreet Singh doubled the Indian lead in the 23rd minute. India finished the first half on top with a 2-0 lead.
India's third goal came through the penalty corner. Jugraj Singh outplayed Akmal Hussain to find the target. India continued to attack and almost added two more goals within the third quarter. In the 43rd minute, Akashdeep missed an easy opportunity to score as he ended up firing wide of the target.
In the final quarter of the match, Pakistan tried to counterattack but could not breach the Indian defense. India kept things tight until the end and in the final moments, Akashdeep Singh extended the lead to 4-0.
Pakistan had another penalty corner in the dying moments of the match but they once again failed to convert it into a goal as India clinched a dominant win over their arch-rivals. With this victory, India completed their league stage of the Asian Champions Trophy unbeaten.
Japan beat China 2-1 in Asian Champions Trophy
Japan had a convincing victory over China in the 1st match on Wednesday, August 9. Japan went 1-0 in the first quarter through a penalty corner courtesy of Shota Yamada, who delivered from the short corner.
Both teams kept things tight since then. Japan had four more penalty corners, and China earned two, but none could find the target, as the match entered the fourth quarter at 1-0.
In the final moments of the match, Kentaro Fukuda converted the penalty corner to extend Japan's lead. China's Suozhu Ao scored when only two minutes were remaining on the clock. Japan held their nerves to win their Asian Champions Trophy match by 2-1.
Korea qualifies for the semi-final of the Asian Champions Trophy despite losing to Malaysia 0-1
Malaysia defeated South Korea in the second match of the day. The Speedy Tigers scored during the second quarter to pick up the win. Both teams had a quiet start in the first quarter, as none managed to find the target. In fact, the quarter witnessed only one penalty corner in favor of Malaysia.
Malaysia was rewarded for their attacking display in the second quarter. Abu Kamal Azrai scored for the Speedy Tigers.
A few minutes later, the defending champions earned back-to-back penalty corners, but they couldn't convert it into a goal. In the end, Malaysia held their nerves better to win the match by 1-0.
Asian Champions Trophy 2023 result after Match 15
Japan 2-1 China
Shota Yamada 8' (Japan)
Kentaro Fukuda 54' (Japan)
Suozhu Ao 58' (China)
Malaysia 1-0 South Korea
Azrai Akmal 22' (Malaysia)
India 4-0 Pakistan
Harmanpreet Singh 15', 23' (India)
Jugraj Singh 36' (India)
Akashdeep Singh 55' (India)