समाचार Samāchār · Sports · 6 November 2026

India trail Japan at half-time, then score four in 12 minutes for a sixth Asian title

India beat Japan 4-1 in the Asian Champions Trophy final in Mohali on Thursday. It is a third title in a row and a record sixth overall.

India won the Asian Champions Trophy for the third year in a row. They beat Japan 4-1 in the final at the Olympian Balbir Singh Senior International Hockey Stadium in Mohali on Thursday night. It is a record sixth title. It was not an easy one. Japan led for 39 minutes.

Kazumasa Matsumoto scored in the third minute and Japan took a 1-0 lead into half-time. India broke through in the 42nd minute through Shilanand Lakra. Dilpreet Singh added a second in the 48th. Jugraj Singh converted a penalty corner in the 53rd. A fourth came a minute later from a Vivek Sagar Prasad strike. Reports differ on whether he or Sukhjeet Singh got the last touch. Four goals in 12 minutes settled the final.

India went through the league unbeaten and beat South Korea 8-1 in the semi-final. Harmanpreet Singh was named Hero of the Tournament with 10 goals. Krishan Bahadur Pathak was Goalkeeper of the Tournament. Hardik Singh played his 200th senior international. Hockey India announced ₹3 lakh for each player and ₹1.5 lakh for each member of the support staff. Malaysia beat South Korea 5-2 for bronze.

The first half is the अनुभव Anubhav worth keeping. Japan defended well and India did not panic. The penalty corner worked when it was needed and the whole squad shared the goals. That is the habit to carry into harder matches against Europe and Australia.

What a founder takes from it: A team that trails for 39 minutes and then wins by three trusts its method. Founders know the pattern. A bad first half is information, not a verdict.