Asian Games 2023: India men’s hockey team beats Japan 4-2, overtakes Pakistan from top of Pool A
The HinduTwo goals in the last four minutes saw Japan reduce the deficit but India’s superiority till then ensured a 4-2 win against the reigning Asian Games champion in the first real test for the Indians. Sukhjeet was unable to deflect twice in the first ten minutes, and then Harmanpreet’s flick went wide before Abhishek finally put India ahead in the 13th minute. To its credit, Japan’s defence remained rock solid and error-free for most parts, and the eight penalty corners India earned were more a result of clever creation than mistakes from the opponents. “We did well in the first three quarters, we had due control on the game, we had a few chances that we did not finish, and that’s fine.then the last five minutes, they had nothing to lose, and they pushed, but we tried to play a little bit of same game and got beaten,” coach Craig Fulton shrugged but refused to assess any further.