India beat Japan 4-1 in Jalandhar to seal Asian Champions Trophy semifinal place
India defeated Japan 4-1 in Jalandhar on October 30, 2026, to extend their winning run and secure a place in the semifinals of the Asian Champions Trophy with a third straight victory.
Three goals in the final quarter ensured India stayed top of the table, but the 4-1 scoreline belied a much tighter contest; the defending champions were stretched by a Japanese side ranked eight places lower in the world that defended with discipline and sustained positive play. The domination India showed in their previous two matches was absent for the first 45 minutes, and Japan’s resilience kept the match competitive.
Abhishek opened the scoring in the 11th minute, meeting Sukhjeet’s pass from the backline to slam the ball in from close range. Four minutes later Shota Yamada levelled for Japan from a penalty stroke; Suraj Karkera had no answer to the stroke, which followed Japan’s fourth penalty corner after a goalbound shot bounced off Sanjay’s shoulder.
Japan’s first-half edge was reflected in the match statistics: they earned four penalty corners to India’s none, registered six circle entries to India’s four and limited the hosts to a single shot on target in the opening period. The Japanese game plan focused on basic structure, drawing India in and then moving the ball with long passes to reduce turnover risks and avoid conceding penalty corners; India finished the match with one penalty corner and had two more cancelled after review.
India increased the tempo after the interval following the half-time instruction. “The talk at half-time was just to go all out on the press, keep pushing Japan back and attack,” both coach Craig Fulton and Abhishek revealed. Harmanpreet converted a penalty corner in the 47th minute to restore the lead, Abhishek added his second in the 51st, and Vishnukant Singh made it 4-1 with a goal in the 56th minute.
Elsewhere in the tournament Malaysia beat Bangladesh 6-1 to remain unbeaten and join India in the semifinals, with Abu Kamal Azrai (14, 22-pc), Akhimullah Anuar (29-pc), Azimuddin Kamaruddin (32-pc), Shello Silverius (33) and Aiman Rozemi (50-pc) on the scoresheet for Malaysia and Amirul Islam (26-pc) scoring for Bangladesh. Korea overturned China’s early lead to claim their first win, beating China 2-1 with Kim Yong Bok scoring in the 35th and Kim Jae Ho in the 36th after Chen Chongcong had put China ahead from an 8th-minute penalty stroke.
With their victory, India have confirmed a semifinal berth in the Asian Champions Trophy, and Malaysia have also secured a place in the last four.
