Rajgir: The Indian hockey team outplayed Japan by 3-2 in the Asia Cup 2025, which is being held in Bihar currently. Mandeep Singh (4’) and Harmanpreet Singh (5’, 45’) scored for India to guide them to a victory against the Japanese side. With the triumph, India have edged closer to the Super 4s occupying the first position in Group A.The Indian team held the possession of the ball for a far longer time and defended from the front, breaking the Japanese team to beat them in a thrilling contest. After trailing by two goals till the first, Japan fought back, but their efforts were not good enough to equal the scoreline or win the match.India beat Japan 3-2India came into the match after a close 4-3 victory over China in their first match of the tournament, while Japan beat Kazakhstan 7-0 in their opening encounter. A win was crucial for both teams to solidify their spots in the knockouts, and it was evident in the results as the contest saw India leading by two goals till half-time and Japan bouncing back into the match to put two goals into the back of the net.
The Indian team got off to a solid start as Mandeep displayed some impressive stick skills with his back to the goal and stunned the Japanese goalkeeper to give India a lead in the 4th minute. Next, India got four penalty corners in a row, and the skipper’s effort was stopped in the first three, but Harmanpreet struck in the fourth one, giving India a 2-0 lead.A green card for Amit Rohidas in the 23rd minute handed Japan four back-to-back Penalty Corners, but the Indian defence was up to the mark in defending their territory.
In the third quarter, Japan pulled one back as Kosei Kawabe scored in the 38th minute, but India responded with one more goal via a penalty corner in the 45th minute. Kawabe scored the second goal for Japan with two minutes to go in the match. India defended well in the last two minutes and eked out a close 3-2 win.India to play against KazakhstanIndia will play against Kazakhstan in their final group match on September 1, Monday. The team will be aiming to script a solid win before advancing into Super 4s.