समाचार Samāchār · Sports · 5 November 2026

India beat South Korea 8-1 to reach the final. Japan will ask harder questions

Six Indian players scored in Mohali. Japan arrive in tonight’s final after keeping Malaysia scoreless and converting all five shootout attempts.

India are in the Asian Champions Trophy final. They beat South Korea 8-1 in Mohali on Wednesday and meet Japan tonight at 7 pm. This is India’s seventh final in the men’s event. That is a record.

The match was settled early. India led 3-1 after the first quarter and 6-1 at half-time. Shilanand Lakra and Dilpreet Singh scored two each. Captain Harmanpreet Singh added a drag-flick for his 10th goal of the tournament. Sukhjeet Singh, Angad Bir Singh and Vivek Sagar Prasad scored the rest. Han Sangjun got Korea’s only goal.

This was no one-night result. India beat the same side 8-0 in the league. That is 16 goals scored and one conceded across two meetings. The defending champions won all five league matches. They scored 34 goals and conceded five. This is a विजय Vijay built on spread. Six different players scored on Wednesday.

Japan are the harder question. India beat them 4-1 in the league, but this Japan side reached the final without conceding in open play on the night. They held Malaysia to 0-0, then converted all five of their shootout attempts to win 5-3. A team that keeps its shape for a full match and does not miss from the spot will not give India the early goals Korea gave.

The final will show whether India’s attack can break a side that holds its shape. Tonight answers that.

What a founder takes from it: A big margin is a result. Six scorers in one night is a system. Founders should ask the same of their own teams: who still delivers when the best person is marked?