The champion Indian men’s hockey team defeated Japan 5-1 in their second league match of the Asian Champions Trophy 2024 on Monday. For India, Sukhjeet Singh scored two goals, while Abhishek, Sanjay, and Uttam Singh scored one goal each. Kazumasa Matsumoto scored the only goal for Japan. Earlier on Sunday, the Indian team started their campaign by defeating host China 3-0 in the first match. India’s next match will be against Malaysia on Wednesday.
In the second match played on Monday, the Indian team made a brilliant start. In the second minute, Sukhjeet Singh scored a fantastic goal to give India the lead. In the next minute, Abhishek dodged the Japanese players and scored, giving India a 2-0 lead. India’s attack continued in the second quarter as well. Sanjay converted a brilliant penalty corner into a goal in the 17th minute, putting India in a strong position with a 3-0 lead. During this time, the Japanese players tried to make a comeback but couldn’t score. By halftime, the Indian team was leading 3-0.
In the third quarter, the Japanese players performed well, resulting in a goal by Kazumasa Matsumoto in the 41st minute. A few minutes earlier, Vivek Sagar had a great opportunity to score the fourth goal for India but missed. However, in the fourth quarter, India scored their fourth goal. Uttam Singh scored a brilliant goal in the 54th minute, making it 4-1 for India. In the final moments of the game, India scored another goal. Sukhjeet scored again in the 60th minute, ending the match with a 5-1 victory.