Jalandhar, November 1, 2026 (Yes Punjab News)
India continued its winning run in the Hero Asian Champions Trophy, defeating Malaysia 4-2 to register a fourth consecutive victory and strengthen its position at the top of the standings at the Olympian Surjit Singh Hockey Stadium on Sunday.
Indian captain Harmanpreet Singh led the charge with a hat-trick, taking his tournament tally to eight goals and making him the leading scorer. Sukhjeet Singh scored the other goal for India, while Akhimullah and Shello Silverius found the net for Malaysia.
The match, played before a packed stadium, was level at 1-1 at half-time. Harmanpreet converted two penalty corners and a penalty stroke to complete his hat-trick as India secured the 4-2 win. Both teams had already qualified for the semi-finals.
Japan and South Korea also confirmed their places in the last four following Sunday’s results. Japan drew 2-2 with China, while South Korea defeated Bangladesh 5-0.
Japan’s match against China saw a dramatic finish. China took the lead through Zhang Jialang and held on to it until the fourth quarter. Japan then struck twice through Raiki Fujishima and Yuma Nagai to move ahead, but Benhai Chen converted a penalty corner just three seconds before the final whistle to secure a 2-2 draw for China. The result ended China’s hopes of reaching the semi-finals.
South Korea booked its semi-final berth with a commanding victory over Bangladesh. Son Da-in scored three goals, while Park Geun-woo added two, giving the Korean side a 5-0 win after leading 2-0 at half-time. Bangladesh suffered its fourth consecutive defeat and was eliminated from the semi-final race.
The final three league matches will be played on Monday, November 2: China vs Bangladesh, Malaysia vs Japan and India vs South Korea. These fixtures will determine the final league standings and the semi-final pairings for November 4 in Mohali. China and Bangladesh will compete for fifth place.
The tournament, being hosted on Punjab soil for the first time, drew a large crowd of hockey fans to the Jalandhar stadium on Sunday.
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