Relieved. The predominant feeling in the Indian camp after sneaking past Pakistan 4-3 in the men’s hockey semifinal of the Asian Games on Thursday (October 1, 2026). A game of two halves and seemingly two different Indian teams turning up for each half.
With the scores tied 3-3 and 49 seconds to go, a shoot-out looming large in the first semifinal at the Gifu Prefectural Green Stadium, Abhishek’s feeble push took a deflection off Sufyan’s stick and the Pakistan team watched the ball roll past the goal line, crushing their dreams of advancing to the title clash yet again. Not surprisingly, the boys in green couldn’t stop crying after all their efforts.
Follow the Asian Games 2026 LIVE
For the first 30 minutes, India played like the higher-ranked defending champion it is, despite a distinct lack of fluidity. There was possession and determination, attack and aggression, and it produced five penalty corners in the first five minutes. The fifth saw Harmanpreet Singh slot the ball into the middle of the net and secure the lead. By the 24th minute, it was 3-0, despite a goal being disallowed for coming off Dilpreet’s back-stick.
Manpreet Singh stole the ball cutting in front of a Pakistan defender near the half line, ran all the way to the baseline and put Sukhjeet through in front of goal. There was no goal but a PC resulted and the score became 2-0. Shilanand Lakra did something similar and this time, Sukhjeet got on to the scoreboard, 3-0. In between, Pakistan tried to find gaps in the Indian defence but Sufyan failed to capitalise on the penalty corners.
At that point, India looked set to storm through. Instead, it was forced to struggle past the finishline. Pakistan, which had pulled one back 35 seconds from half-time through its sixth PC and skipper Abu Mahmood, came out pumped up and took charge. It looked like, for some unknown reason, the moment and momentum had crossed over during the break. Pakistan had relied on counter-attacks to find their chances and post the break, they found their rhythm in the chaos on the field even as India lost the tempo and temper and became erratic.
Two goals in four minutes exposed the Indian fragility. Hannan Shahid tapped in in the 45th minute and Rana Waheed Ashraf brought things level, capitalising on a defensive lapse. India was unlucky too – Abhishek’s shot rebounded off the far-post in the 41st minute, adding to the team’s frustration. A PC in the 54th minute to Pakistan evoked cheers from its supporters and equally vocal despair from the Indian fans but was saved. Then luck changed.
A fifth Asian title and a spot for LA Olympics will be on the line when India takes on Malaysia in the first-ever Asian Games final between the two sides after the latter got past Korea 2-1 in the other semifinal. Malaysia, on the other hand, will be looking for maiden title.
The results (semifinals): India 4 (Harmanpreet Singh 5, 13, Sukhjeet Singh 23, Abhishek 60) bt Pakistan 3 (Abu Mahmood 30, Hannan Shahid 45, Rana Waheed Ashraf 49); Malaysia 2 (Abu Kamal Azrai 40, 45) bt Korea 1 (Gangsan Lee 42).
