Harmanpreet Singh continued his scintillating run at the Hero Men's Asia Cup, scoring twice as India edged past a determined Japan 3-2 to secure a place in the Super Four stage on Sunday.
Mandeep Singh had opened the scoring in the fourth minute with a fine field goal, but it was Harmanpreet’s clinical conversions from penalty corners in the 5th and 46th minutes that sealed the win. For Japan, Kosei Kawabe struck twice (38th, 58th minutes) to keep the contest tense.
India, unbeaten in two matches, lead Pool A with six points, ahead of Japan and China, who have one victory each. The group stage concludes with India facing Kazakhstan on Monday, while the winner of Japan versus China will claim the second Super Four berth from the pool.
From the outset, India displayed sharper coordination and a quicker tempo compared to their opener against China. Early pressure yielded a near-goal in the second minute when Harmanpreet fed Manpreet, whose effort went inches wide. Moments later, Mandeep capitalised on a brilliant setup involving Harmanpreet, Jarmanpreet Singh, and Sukhjeet Singh, evading defenders and the goalkeeper to strike the opener.
India swiftly doubled the advantage in the fifth minute through Harmanpreet’s penalty corner strike. Japanese efforts in the first quarter, including two penalty corners, were thwarted by Indian goalkeeper Krishan Bahadur Pathak, marking his 150th international appearance.
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The second quarter saw Japan mounting repeated attacks with four consecutive penalty corners, but the Indian defence held firm. India had a chance to extend their lead just before half-time but were unable to convert.
After the break, Japan pulled one back when Kawabe fired a first-time shot from Kaito Tanaka’s pass in the 38th minute. India responded with Harmanpreet converting another penalty corner in the third quarter, restoring a two-goal cushion. Suraj Karkera’s crucial saves in the 49th minute denied Japan a chance to close the gap. Kawabe scored again two minutes from the final whistle, ensuring a tense finish.
Elsewhere in Pool A, China demolished Kazakhstan 13-1 to claim their first win. Despite an early penalty goal from Agymtay Duisengazy within 12 seconds, Kazakhstan could not withstand the Chinese onslaught. Multiple scorers, including Du Shihao, Qijun Chen, Changliang Lin, Benhai Chen, Yuanlin Lu, Jiesheng Gao, and Xiaolong Guo, inflicted a rout.
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