Rajgir (Bihar): Skipper Harmanpreet Singh continued to play awe-inspiring hockey, scoring a brace as India defeated a fighting Japan 3-2 to qualify for the Super Four stage of the Hero Men’s Asia Cup here on Sunday.
After scoring a hat-trick in the opener against China, Harmanpreet (5th, 46th minutes) converted two penalty corners, while Mandeep Singh struck a fine field goal in the fourth minute to give the hosts a deserving win.
For Japan, Kosei Kawabe (38th, 58th minutes) scored both the goals.
With two wins in as many games, India are leading Pool A with six points and are ahead of Japan and China, who have one win each.
India will conclude their group engagement with the match against Kazakhstan on Monday, while the winner of the tie between Japan and China will decide the other Super Four team from Pool A.
India displayed a much-improved performance from their previous match. They looked more coordinated and played fast-paced hockey, which resulted in frequent forays inside the rival circle.
India go their first chance as early as in the second minute when Harmanpreet found Manpreet whose shot from just inside the circle went inches wide. It didn’t take India too long to take the lead as they surged ahead a couple of minutes later through Mandeep’s fine field goal.
A brilliant set-up by Harmanpreet, Jarmanpreet Singh and a final feed by Sukhjeet Singh found Mandeep in front of the goal. Mandeep beat two defenders and the goalkeeper with his body movement to push the ball in.
India earned back-to-back penalty corners in the fifth minute and Harmanpreet scored from the second to double India’s lead.
Two minutes before the end of the first quarter, Japan secured their first penalty corner, followed by another but on both the occasions Indian goalkeeper Krishan Bahadur Pathak, playing his 150th international match, made fine saves to keep the lead intact.
Japan had their chances in the second quarter in the form of four back-to-back penalty corners but the Indians defended stoutly.
India too had a chance to extend their lead when they earned another set piece three minutes from half time but missed the opportunity to go into the halfway break with a two-goal cushion.
Minutes after the change of ends, Sukhjeet fed Mandeep inside the circle, whose hit from top of the circle was saved by the Japanese goalkeeper.
Japan pulled one back in the 38th minute through Kawabe with a first-time shot after receiving a pass from Kaito Tanaka.
But India restored their two-goal lead just at the stroke of the third quarter through Harmanpreet who converted another set piece with a powerful low flick.
In the 49th minute, Japan secured another penalty corner but Suraj Karkera came up with two brilliant saves. Japan upped the ante in the final few minutes and earned a couple of penalty corners but failed.
Two minutes before the final hooter, Kawabe scored his second goal of the day, catching Jarmanpreet off guard inside the circle.
China maul Kazakhstan, stay alive
In the other Pool A match, China thrashed Kazakhstan 13-1 to register their first win and stay alive in the Asia Cup.
Kazakhstan earned a penalty within 12 seconds of the start and Agymtay Duisengazy scored with a precision flick to hand his side the lead.
But that was all the Kazakhs managed in the match. It was China who toyed with the opponent’s defence and scored goals at will.
Du Shihao (10th, 53rd), Qijun Chen (13th), Changliang Lin (15th, 39th), Benhai Chen (29th, 56th), Yuanlin Lu (31st), Jiesheng Gao (33rd) Xiaolong Guo (41st, 58th) and Yuanlin Lu (42nd, 44th) were the goal scorers for China in the contest.
