{"id":3039,"date":"2025-09-08T11:20:04","date_gmt":"2025-09-08T03:20:04","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.infinitysport.asia\/news\/?p=3039"},"modified":"2025-09-08T11:20:07","modified_gmt":"2025-09-08T03:20:07","slug":"india-crowned-asia-cup-champions-and-qualify-for-hockey-world-cup","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.infinitysport.asia\/news\/india-crowned-asia-cup-champions-and-qualify-for-hockey-world-cup\/","title":{"rendered":"India crowned Asia Cup champions and qualify for Hockey World Cup"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

In front of a passionate home crowd at Rajgir, India delivered a masterclass in attacking hockey to overpower Korea 4\u20131. With precision, flair, and tactical discipline, India controlled the match from start to finish.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

With the win, India ended their eight-year wait to regain their title and qualified for the FIH Hockey World Cup 2026 in the Netherlands and Belgium. This was India\u2019s fourth Asia Cup hockey win. Their last triumph came in 2017 in Dhaka.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Dilpreet Singh (28′,45′), Sukhjeet Singh (1′) and Amit Rohidas (50′) scored the goals for India, while Son Dain (51\u2019) scored South Korea\u2019s only goal of the match.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

India got off to a solid start with Sukhjeet Singh scoring for the hosts within 30 seconds of the start of the game. It was a fine assist from captain Harmanpreet Singh, which was picked up brilliantly by the forward and powerfully struck a tomahawk past the South Korean goalie Jaehan Kim.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

There was plenty of action in the opening quarter with India being awarded a penalty stroke with about six minutes left for the first hooter. This was an opportunity that was created by Mandeep Singh when he was taking a shot on goal, when a deliberate stick-check by a South Korean defender saw them being awarded the stroke.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

However, the opportunity went begging after Jugraj Singh\u2019s flick was padded away by Jaehan.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The second quarter saw South Korea slow down India. Jugraj was also shown a green card but young midfielder Rajinder Singh helped India win their first penalty corner in the 19th minute.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

However, a good review by South Korea meant that India was denied this chance. After a brief lull in the second quarter with both teams unable to find a substantial attack, Dilpreet Singh broke the gridlock when he struck in the 28th minute.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It was a long ball by Harmanpreet Singh, received well by Sanjay, who lofted it to Dilpreet. He took a brief moment to position himself well enough to find the gap in between the goalie’s legs and earned India a 2-0 lead.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Changing sides after half-time, India got the ball rolling in the third quarter with just 10 men on the field as Sanjay had been shown a green card just seconds before the second hooter.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Only three minutes into the third quarter, India won a penalty corner after a South Korean foot in the circle. But the decision to award India a penalty corner was overturned by the on-field umpire after Mandeep’s shin hit the ball first before finding the South Korean foot.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

There were a few chances created in the following minutes as India’s forward line took turns to make forays into the South Korean circle but a breakthrough came only in the 45th minute and again, it was Dilpreet who struck a fine goal.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It was Harmanpreet Singh, who was the playmaker yet again with a clever pass into the centre of the goal, and Raj Kumar Pal managed a shot before Dilpreet eventually turned it in.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Dilpreet remained the cynosure of India’s attack in the final quarter as he created a penalty corner, which was converted by Amit Rohidas. At the start of the fourth quarter, South Korea converted a goal after a good variation in a penalty corner.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Yang Jihun faked the flick and played it back to the injector Lee Jungjun, who eventually passed it to Son Dain to score. However, his goal did little to change the outcome of the match as India won the final comfortably to become four-time Asian hockey champions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Meanwhile, Malaysia secured third place with a convincing 4\u20131 victory over China. Clinical in front of goal and organized at the back, Malaysia capped off a strong tournament with a performance that displayed their depth and determination.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Japan rounded off the competition with a 6\u20131 win over Bangladesh, finishing on a high note after a competitive campaign. The victory showcased Japan\u2019s attacking strength and resilience throughout the tournament.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Individual Award Winners<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n