Moqi (Hulunbuir): On Monday, September 16th, 2024, in the semi-final of the Hero Asian Champions Trophy 2024, the Men in Blue, the Indian hockey team, defeated Korea 4-1 at the picturesque Moqi Hockey Training Base in the China Daur Ethnic Park, Hulunbuir. India took the lead in the first quarter thanks to goals by Uttam Singh (13′), Jarmanpreet Singh (32′), and Harmanpreet Singh (19′, 45+’). For Korea, Jihun Yang (33′) scored the lone goal.
Hero of the Match, Jarmanpreet Singh after the game with South Korea said, “We played exceptionally well today, we are happy to advance to the Final. Sumit provided me with a splendid ball for the goal and I am thankful to my roommate, who understands me so well, for setting up the goal for me.”
Source: Hockey India
India VS South Korea
India got off to a fast start in the pivotal Semi-Final, forcing Korea’s goalie, Jaehan Kim, to make a stop early in the game. With a dashing run down the right flank, Uttam maintained the pressure and found Raheel, whose close-range attempt was saved. First-quarter score for India was 1-0 when Araijeet Singh’s goal from the right wing crashed the ball across the goal for Uttam to tap in. The Indian defense had been stifling the rare Korean onslaught, but now the strikers had finally broken through.
India got their first penalty corner early in the second quarter. On his second attempt, Harmanpreet doubled India’s lead. Korea hung onto the ball and kept trying to find an opportunity by probing down the flanks, but India countered by defending in numbers. When they controlled the ball, the Indian’s aggressive style and offense remained a constant threat to score as they consistently made circle entrances. Yoonho Kong caught Gurjot Singh off guard in the circle as Korea began to draw away from India toward the end of the second quarter, forcing Suraj Karkera to make an exceptional mid-range save.
Sukhjeet attempted to penetrate deep into Korea’s shooting circle to make sure India maintained the pressure, but he was unable to find a teammate. India’s lead was increased even further in the very next play when Jarmanpreet deflected an overhead pass from Sumit on the opposing flank and slammed it towards goal. In retaliation, Korea earned a penalty corner, which Jihun Yang flicked into the middle to beat Krishan Pathak and give Korea some hope as India won 3-1.
In the last seconds of the third quarter, both teams had chances to score goals, but India was awarded a penalty corner due to a mistake made by Korea’s goalie, Jaehan Kim. India’s advantage increased to 4-1 after Harmanpreet flicked the ball hard and low to Daewon Oh, the team’s new keeper.
Abhishek and Araijeet forced saves from the goalie as India maintained their dominance in the final quarter. Still, with eight minutes remaining in the match, Korea was awarded a penalty corner, but Hyeonhong Kim’s attempt went high and past the post. With a 4-1 victory, India secured their spot in the Hero Asian Champions Trophy Final by dominating the last minutes of the quarter.
China VS Pakistan
China entered the Hero Asian Champions Trophy Final at the Moqi Hockey Training Base in Hulunbuir, China, by shocking Pakistan 2-0 in the shootout.
Hero of the Match, Yuanlin Lu of China after the game with Pakistan said, “We prepared for this match with great enthusiasm. We discussed strategies in small batches before we finally got together as a team and prepared for the match against Pakistan. It also helped that we had played a few test matches against Pakistan just before this tournament. We had won against Pakistan in some of those matches, so we were quite upbeat. This was the first time I was playing the Asian Champions Trophy and to win the Hero of the Match is special.”
Source: Asia Hockey
China’s goalkeeper Caiyu Wang performed impressively in the shootout, keeping the scoreless situation intact while Benhai Chen and Chanliang Lin scored goals for China. In the eighteenth minute of the game, Yuanlin Lu had handed China an early lead of 1-0.
Seung ensured that despite Pakistan’s impressive performance, his side would not be defeated this time. They strategically defended, halting Pakistan’s attack and applying further pressure. China made sure they didn’t give away another goal after Ahmed Nadeem handed Pakistan a goal in the 37th minute.
Source: Asia Hockey
China played a disciplined, consistent, controlled game, and tackled Pakistani attackers with strong man-to-man marking to ensure they didn’t create scoring opportunities. China successfully limited Pakistan’s shots on goal to maintain a 1-1 deadlock in the third and fourth quarters, despite a few circle entries by Pakistan in the intervening minutes.
India VS China Hockey
India has dominated China throughout their matches against each other by a wide margin.
Source: Twitter
Overall Head to Head
| Total Games Played | 23 |
|---|---|
| India won | 17 |
| China won | 3 |
| Draws | 3 |
Asia Cup Head to Head
In their 6 Asian Champions Trophy games, India has won 5 of the encounters between the two teams, which gives India the upper hand, but let’s not forget that China has the home advantage that usually works wonders for any home game with full support from the spectators.
| Total Games Played | 6 |
|---|---|
| India won | 5 |
| China won | 1 |
| Draws | 0 |
Teams for the Final
India will play China in the Asian Champions Trophy Final on September 17, 2024, at 3:30 PM (IST). Below is the announced squad for the Asian Champions Trophy 2024 Final.
India squad
Krishan Bahadur Pathak, Suraj Karkera, Jarmanpreet Singh, Amit Rohidas, Harmanpreet Singh (C), Jugraj Singh, Sanjay, Sumit, Raj Kumar Pal, Nilakanta Sharma, Vivek Sagar Prasad (VC), Manpreet Singh, Mohammed Raheel Mouseen, Abhishek, Sukhjeet Singh, Araijeet Singh Hundal, Uttam Singh, Gurjot Singh.
China squad
Ao Weibao, Ao Yang, Chao Jieming, Chen Benhai, Chen Chongcong, Chen Qijun, Deng Jingwen, E Kaimin, E Wenhui, Gao Jiesheng, He Yonghua, Huang Ziyang, Lin Changliang, Lu Yuanlin, Meng Dihao, Meng Nan, Wang Caiyu, Wang Weihao, Zhang Taozhu, Zhu Xiaotong.
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