India beat Pakistan 4-3 in Asian Games hockey semi; Coach Craig Fulton says he is relieved
India defeated Pakistan 4-3 in the hockey semifinal at the Asian Games 2026 in Gifu on October 1, 2026, and coach Craig Fulton said he was relieved after the victory. The result sent India into the final.
The emotions in the two dugouts were starkly different after the match, with Pakistani players in tears and unwilling to speak while the Indian squad showed muted celebrations. India’s Abhishek (second from left) celebrated after scoring a goal during the semifinal against Pakistan, an image captured on the evening of October 1 in Gifu. The Indian players stopped to speak and described their feelings as a mixture of happiness and relief.
Manpreet Singh admitted after the match: “Both. First half was very good, in the second we made mistakes and they punished us. Pakistan is a good team and they will hit back if you make mistakes. The good thing is that we didn’t give up and stuck to our game plan till the end. We knew if we keep control, we have good strikers to convert chances.” His comments followed India’s narrow escape into the final.
When asked to describe the game in two words, Harmanpreet Singh said, “Memorable, relieved.” He added, “There were a few mistakes and we will learn from them and come back stronger in the final.”
Coach Craig Fulton was candid in his assessment: “End of third quarter and start of 4th we lost a bit of our shape and it went down to the wire. We needed to get to the fourth and fifth goals after the first three, we missed a lot of chances. It was a difficult game. You cannot play the game you want, you have to play the game you have in front of you and I am glad we found a way out. Relieved but can’t be happy with being 3-0 up, going to 3-3 and then win 4-3.”
With the 4-3 victory, India advance to the Asian Games final. Harmanpreet Singh’s post-match remark that “There were a few mistakes and we will learn from them and come back stronger in the final” outlined the team’s stated focus ahead of that match.