Daijiworld Media Network - Jalandhar
Jalandhar, Oct 31: Striker Abhishek Nain scored twice as defending champions India defeated Japan 4-1 to register their third consecutive victory in the men's Asian Champions Trophy hockey tournament on Friday.
Abhishek struck field goals in the 11th and 51st minutes, while captain Harmanpreet Singh converted India's only penalty corner in the 47th minute. Vishnukant Singh added another field goal in the 56th minute. Shota Yamada scored Japan's only goal through a penalty stroke in the 15th minute.
The five-time champions had earlier registered emphatic victories over Bangladesh (13-0) and China (5-2) in their opening two matches. Japan, meanwhile, had beaten South Korea 3-2 and Bangladesh 1-0.
India will next face Malaysia on Sunday. The Indian team had recently defeated Malaysia 5-1 at the Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games. Japan will take on China in their next match.
India were slow to settle into the contest, with Japan enjoying early possession and earning a penalty corner in the second minute. However, Ken Nagayoshi's attempt from a variation went wide.
The Indian midfield and forward line initially struggled to coordinate, with vice-captain Hardik Singh doing much of the link-up work. With Mandeep Singh missing the match, India found it difficult to create clear scoring opportunities.
The hosts eventually found their rhythm and took the lead in the 11th minute through a well-worked field goal. Hardik initiated the move and found Sukhjeet Singh inside the circle near the left corner. Sukhjeet then set up Abhishek, who was playing his 150th international match, to guide the ball into the net.
Japan responded by earning more penalty corners and continued to put pressure on the Indian defence. A penalty corner just before the end of the first quarter resulted in a penalty stroke after the ball struck Sanjay. Yamada converted it past goalkeeper Suraj Karkera to make it 1-1.
Japan defended compactly and used effective man-to-man marking to restrict India's attacking opportunities. The teams went into the half-time break level, with India failing to earn a penalty corner in the first two quarters.
The contest remained evenly poised after the change of ends. Hardik created an opportunity for Sukhjeet in the 33rd minute, but his attempt went over the goal. Japan earned another penalty corner in the 36th minute, but captain Raiki Fujishima's flick sailed over the post.
India also came close when Shilanand Lakra attempted a reverse hit following a defence-splitting pass from Amit Rohidas, but Japanese goalkeeper Takumi Kitagawa made the save.
With the scores still level at 1-1 after three quarters, India raised their intensity in the final period. The hosts earned their first penalty corner in the 46th minute, and Harmanpreet made no mistake with a powerful low flick to give India a 2-1 lead.
India continued to dominate the closing stages, putting sustained pressure on the Japanese goal. Abhishek scored his second goal of the match in the 51st minute following another fine attacking move, extending the lead to 3-1.
Vishnukant then sealed the victory in the 56th minute, finishing a perfectly placed aerial pass from Harmanpreet to complete India's 4-1 win.