Kakamigahara, October 1, 2026 (Yes Punjab News)
India’s belief in its game structure and trust among players helped the team overcome Pakistan’s late comeback and secure a dramatic 4-3 victory in the men’s hockey semifinal at the Asian Games, forward Mandeep Singh said on Thursday.
India looked firmly in control after building a 3-0 lead, but Pakistan fought back to level the score at 3-3 in the fourth quarter. Abhishek then struck the decisive goal with around 40 seconds remaining to seal India’s place in the final.
Mandeep acknowledged that India’s structure faltered in the third and fourth quarters, allowing Pakistan to capitalise on mistakes. However, he said the team remained confident of securing victory without the match going to a shootout.
“We played very good hockey in the first two quarters. In the third and fourth quarters, our structure was not that good. The goals came because of our mistakes. But still, the belief was there that we had to win this match, somehow, without taking it to a shootout,” Mandeep told IANS after the match.
Harmanpreet Singh opened the scoring and doubled India’s lead with another penalty-corner conversion before Sukhjeet Singh made it 3-0.
Mandeep said the semifinal had offered an important lesson ahead of the gold-medal clash, stressing the need to maintain discipline and execute the team’s structure throughout all four quarters. He also highlighted the trust within the squad as India seek to defend their Asian Games title and achieve back-to-back gold medals.
Sukhjeet, who scored India’s third goal, described the semifinal as a closely contested encounter and praised the teamwork behind the late winner. He said the team stayed focused on its basics and game plan despite the intensity of an India-Pakistan clash.
“Our focus as a team did not break. We performed well and won the match,” Sukhjeet said.
India will face Malaysia in the gold-medal match on Saturday as they aim to retain their Asian Games title.
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