India beat China 5-2 in Jalandhar as Harmanpreet and Sukhjeet score braces at Asian Champions Trophy
India defeated China 5-2 at the Olympian Surjit Singh Hockey Stadium in Jalandhar on Thursday in the Men's Hockey Asian Champions Trophy 2026, with captain Harmanpreet Singh and Player-of-the-Match Sukhjeet Singh each scoring twice and Jugraj Singh adding a fifth. The victory gave the defending champions two wins from as many matches in the tournament.
India began the match having opened their campaign with a 13-0 win over Bangladesh, and faced a stiffer challenge from China, who showed early intent through an aerial entry by Zhang Jialiang. India responded with a strong run from Hardik Singh and an attempt by Mandeep Singh created from Amandeep Lakra’s diagonal pass into the circle, setting the tone before the first goal.
Sukhjeet Singh broke the deadlock in the 12th minute after controlling a long aerial pass from Jugraj, taking a couple of touches and lifting the ball over goalkeeper Wu Huanyu from a difficult angle. China threatened in the 14th minute but Suraj Karkera produced two quick saves to preserve India’s lead. Yang Peng levelled for China from a penalty corner in the 26th minute, and India regained the lead a minute later when Harmanpreet converted a penalty corner with a drag-flick before half-time.
India started the third quarter strongly when Harmanpreet converted another penalty corner in the 31st minute to make it 3-1. Sukhjeet scored his second in the 34th minute after Aditya Arjun Lalage controlled Harmanpreet’s aerial pass and cut the ball back for the forward to finish. China replied through Chen Chongcong, who converted a penalty corner in the 36th minute to reduce the deficit to 4-2.
In the final quarter Jugraj Singh extended the lead to 5-2 with a penalty-corner flick in the 47th minute. Late in the match India earned another penalty corner following a foul on Angad Bir Singh; China’s referral was unsuccessful and Wu Huanyu produced a right-foot stretching save to deny Harmanpreet a hat-trick.
Elsewhere on Thursday, Malaysia beat South Korea 3-1 and Japan edged Bangladesh 1-0. India moved to the top of the standings with six points and a goal difference of +16; Malaysia and Japan also have six points with goal differences of +3 and +2 respectively, while South Korea, China and Bangladesh remain without a point.
India will face Japan on Friday, October 30, at 1900 hrs IST at the Olympian Surjit Singh Hockey Stadium; the six teams are playing a single round-robin league phase with the top four qualifying for the semi-finals, the league stage continuing in Jalandhar until November 2 before semi-finals in Mohali on November 4 and the medal matches on November 5.