India beat Bangladesh 10-0 in final Pool A game at Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games, set up Pakistan semi

The Indian men's hockey team defeated Bangladesh 10-0 in Kakamigahara on Monday in their final Pool A match at the Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games 2026, finishing top of the group and advancing to the semi-finals.

The defending champions completed a fifth consecutive win in Pool A, having beaten Indonesia, Sri Lanka, Japan, South Korea and Bangladesh, and ended their round-robin campaign with a goal difference of +45. India will have a two-day break before the knockouts after topping Pool A. The result ensured India progressed to the semi-finals as group winners.

Heavy rain affected the day’s schedule and playing surface, forcing a 30-minute delay after the Pakistan–Oman game was suspended for about 15 minutes; players were drenched and the pitch became waterlogged. The report noted the much fitter Indian team was better prepared for the rain-hit conditions and were able to manage movement on the slippery surface more effectively. Match officials and team staff had to adjust routines as the downpour intensified through the contest.

India opened the scoring in the 3rd minute when Sanjay joined the attacking move and found Abhishek, who shifted left and struck a reverse hit past the Bangladesh goalkeeper for 1-0. Bangladesh earned a penalty corner in the 12th minute; Amirul Islam’s drag-flick was cleared by goalkeeper Suraj Karkera. A possible Indian penalty corner in the 15th minute was overturned after Bangladesh used their video referral, and Abhishek received treatment for a minor injury before returning to play.

In the 22nd minute Mandeep Singh was blocked inside the circle and India were awarded a penalty corner; Jugraj Singh’s goal-bound drag-flick struck a defender’s foot and the umpire signalled a penalty stroke, which Jugraj converted to make it 2-0. An aerial into the Bangladesh circle in the 27th minute found Mandeep, who created another penalty corner; Harmanpreet Singh took responsibility and scored from the set piece to put India 3-0 at half-time.

Shortly after the break, in the 32nd minute, Dilpreet Singh and Sukhjeet Singh combined with quick touches and Sukhjeet finished into an open goal for 4-0. Opportunities followed but an aerial flick by Harmanpreet narrowly missed the post in the 38th minute. Vivek Sagar Prasad won a penalty corner in the 40th minute and Harmanpreet converted to make it 5-0; Shilanand Lakra then scored in the 44th and 45th minutes to stretch the lead to 7-0, and Harmanpreet completed his hat-trick from a 45th-minute penalty corner as India ended the third quarter 8-0 ahead.

The rain intensified again in the final quarter, creating more unforced errors on the water-heavy pitch, but India added two late goals. In the penultimate minute Sanjay struck a penalty corner aerial drag-flick into the net, and in the 60th minute Mandeep Singh finished from the rebound after Sukhjeet’s shot was initially blocked by the goalkeeper. The final scorers were: Harmanpreet Singh (hat-trick), Shilanand Lakra (two), and one each for Abhishek, Jugraj Singh, Sukhjeet Singh, Sanjay and Mandeep Singh as India won 10-0 in Kakamigahara.

India will meet Pakistan in the semi-final on October 1 after topping Pool A; the other semi-final will be played between Malaysia and South Korea.