[Watch] India’s crucial fourth goal to Script historic Asian Champions Trophy win
The Indian hockey team scripted history on Saturday at Mayor Radhakrishnan Stadium as they became the first team to lift the Asian Champions Trophy for the foutth time.
The host side defeated Malaysia in a thrilling encounter to lift the trophy. They were trailing by 1-3 at the end of the first half but managed to make a massive comeback to lift the trophy.
India's comeback began with captain Harmanpreet Singh's goal in the 45th minute. A few seconds later, Gurjant Singh produced the equaliser for the host side.
India had to wait until the 56th minute to produce the winning goal. After Harmanpreet Singh missed the target in the 55th minute, Sukhjeet won the ball high on the pitch. He passed it to Mandeep Singh, who dribbled past the Malaysia defenders to set up a shot for Akashdeep Singh, who deflected the pass towards the right corner of the goal.
Akashdeep Singh's reflexes stunned Malaysia, as they could not find another goal during the dying moments of the match. As a result, India defeated Malaysia 4-3 to clinch the Asian Champions Trophy for the fourth time.
Earlier, Jugraj Singh helped India go 1-0 up in the 9th minute of the match. Malaysia pulled one back in the 14th minute. A few minutes later, Razie Rahim stunned the Chennai crowd by producing the third goal for Malaysia with a drag-flick. India pulled things back only in the second half and clinched the victory on home soil.
Japan defeats South Korea to finish third in Asian Champions Trophy
Japan dominated South Korea to claim the third spot in the Asian Champions Trophy on Saturday. Japan began the processing with Ryoma Ooka scoring in the 3rd minute. They extended the lead as Kato found the target in the 9th minute.
South Korea's Jonghyun Jang helped the team bounce back by scoring in the 15th as well as the 33rd minute. The match entered the final quarter with a score of 3-3. However, Japan's Shota Yamada and Ken Nagayoshi scored during the final ten minutes of the match to help the team defeat the last edition's champions.