Blitz Bureau
Kakamigahara, 1 October: India held their nerve through a dramatic late Pakistan fightback to beat their arch-rivals 4-3 and storm into the men’s hockey final at the Asian Games 2026 at the Gifu Prefectural Green Stadium. The defending champions have now confirmed themselves another medal and are just one win away from booking a ticket to the Los Angeles 2028 Olympics.
The victory not only kept India’s title defence alive but also created a piece of Asian Games history, with both the Indian men’s and women’s hockey teams reaching the final at the same edition of the Games for the first time since 1998.
India appeared to be cruising towards a comfortable victory after racing into a 3-0 lead, only for Pakistan to claw their way back and level the contest early in the final quarter. Abhishek then produced the decisive moment in the final minute, restoring India’s lead and sending the team into the title clash.
The Indians made an assertive start and were rewarded with their first goal in the fifth minute. After a succession of penalty corners, Harmanpreet Singh finally found a way through Pakistan goalkeeper Muneeb-ur-Rehman Raza, firing between his legs to put India ahead.
Harmanpreet doubled the advantage in the 13th minute, converting another penalty-corner opportunity with a powerful strike after India had continued to dominate possession and territory.
Pakistan struggled to cope with India’s movement in the opening quarter, but the game changed after the break.
Sukhjeet Singh made it 3-0 in the 23rd minute, finishing a move that began with Manpreet Singh winning possession before Shilanand Lakra drove down the left and sent the ball across goal.
Pakistan finally found their way back into the contest shortly before half-time when Abu Mahmood converted a penalty corner in the 30th minute, cutting the deficit to 3-1.
The momentum continued to shift after the interval. Hannan Shahid pulled another goal back in the 45th minute, capitalising on a dangerous ball from the right after India failed to clear their lines.
