India’s men’s hockey team won their fifth Asian Champions Trophy, defeating China 1-0 in a hard-fought final. Despite dominating possession with 84% in the first half, India struggled to break down China’s strong defence. Wang Weihao, the goalkeeper, gave an excellent effort, blocking many attempts, including four drag-flicks from skipper Harmanpreet Singh.
China, ranked 23rd, made India work harder than anticipated. With increasing confidence, the underdogs earned five penalty corners, even more than India. However, poor penalty corner execution helped India to stay in the game despite missing multiple opportunities of their own.
After 51 minutes of deadlock, India eventually broke through in the fourth quarter, when defender Jugraj Singh scored a key field goal, assisted by Harmanpreet, to give India a 1-0 lead. Harmanpreet changed places during a long corner, avoiding three defenders and setting up Jugraj for the winning goal.
China made a last-ditch effort to equalise by removing their goalkeeper in favour of an additional player, but they were unsuccessful. India’s defence stood firm, securing the victory.
Meanwhile, Hockey India has given financial awards of ₹3 lakh per player and ₹1.5 lakh for support staff.
