Japan beat Malaysia to make the Asian Champions Trophy final
The Asian Champions Trophy Punjab delivered an exciting day of knockout-stage action in Mohali as hosts India and Japan secured their places in the championship final following contrasting semi-final victories.
India continued their unbeaten campaign with an emphatic 8–1 victory over Korea, while Japan overcame Malaysia 5–3 in a dramatic shoot-out after the two teams finished regulation time locked at 0–0.
Earlier, China secured fifth place with a 3–1 victory over Bangladesh.
The results set up a highly anticipated India–Japan final on Thursday, 5 November, with Malaysia and Korea contesting the third-place playoff.
Japan booked their place in the final following a tense semi-final encounter against Malaysia.
Neither side could break the deadlock during regulation time, with the contest ending 0–0 and requiring a shoot-out to determine the winner.
Japan held their nerve to secure a 5–3 shoot-out victory and advance to the final, while Malaysia will compete against Korea for the bronze medal.
Japan’s triumph sets up another meeting with India, following their 4–1 defeat against the hosts earlier in the round-robin stage.
India Overwhelm Korea 8–1 to Continue Unbeaten Campaign
Hosts India maintained their impressive form with a commanding 8–1 victory over Korea, securing their place in the Hero Asian Champions Trophy Punjab 2026 final.
Having completed the round-robin stage with five consecutive victories, India carried their momentum into the semi-finals with another dominant attacking display.
The hosts scored eight goals to extend their tournament tally to 42 goals from six matches.
Captain Harmanpreet Singh continued his excellent form, taking his individual goalscoring tally to 10 goals and maintaining his position at the top of the scoring charts.
The result marked India’s sixth consecutive victory and confirmed their place in the championship final against Japan.
China Secure Fifth Place with 3–1 Victory Over Bangladesh
China concluded their Hero Asian Champions Trophy Punjab 2026 campaign with a 3–1 victory over Bangladesh in the fifth-place playoff.
Having finished fifth in the round-robin standings, China secured victory in their final match to claim fifth position overall.
Bangladesh, meanwhile, concluded their campaign in sixth place.
The final promises an exciting encounter as unbeaten hosts India take on Japan for the prestigious continental title.
India enter the championship match with six consecutive victories, while Japan will aim to build on their dramatic semi-final triumph against Malaysia.
Meanwhile, Korea and Malaysia will battle for the bronze medal as the Hero Asian Champions Trophy Punjab 2026 reaches its conclusion.
