Daijiworld Media Network - Jalandhar
Jalandhar, Nov 2: Hosts India continued their unbeaten campaign in the Hero Asian Champions Trophy Punjab 2026, defeating Malaysia 4-2 to register their fourth consecutive victory in the tournament at the Olympian Surjit Singh Hockey Stadium here on Sunday.
The high-profile encounter brought together the tournament's two unbeaten teams, with both sides having won their first three matches. India, however, produced another impressive performance to end Malaysia's winning run and consolidate their position at the top of the standings.
Indian captain Harmanpreet Singh was the star of the match, scoring a hat-trick through two penalty corners and a penalty stroke. Sukhjeet Singh scored the other goal for India. Malaysia's goals came through Akhimullah and Shello Silverius.
With this victory, India moved to 12 points from four matches, maintaining a perfect record and a goal difference of +21. The team has scored 26 goals in the tournament so far. Harmanpreet Singh also strengthened his position at the top of the goalscorers' list with eight goals.
In the opening match of the day, South Korea registered a convincing 5-0 victory over Bangladesh. The win gave Korea its second consecutive victory and took its points tally to six from four matches. Bangladesh, meanwhile, suffered its fourth successive defeat and remained without a point.
The second league encounter between China and Japan ended in a 2-2 draw. China registered its first point of the competition, while Japan moved to seven points after four matches.
Following Sunday's results, India continued to lead the standings with 12 points, followed by Malaysia with nine, Japan with seven and South Korea with six. China had one point, while Bangladesh remained at the bottom without a point.
The final round of league matches is scheduled for Monday, November 2, with China taking on Bangladesh, Japan facing Malaysia and India meeting South Korea. All three matches will be played in Jalandhar.
The league-stage results will determine the final standings and the semi-final pairings. The knockout matches are scheduled to be held in Mohali on November 4, with the tournament concluding on November 5.