Winner to secure a spot in the 2024 Paris Olympics

Three times former champions India will take on 2018 Asian Games Gold medalist Japan in the Men's Hockey Gold medal match of the ongoing 19th Asian Games Hangzhou 2022 on Friday 6th October 2023. With a chance to secure a spot in the 2024 Paris Olympics, both teams will be highly motivated to win the Final.

 The Indian team maintained their unbeaten record in the event with a thrilling 5-3 (HT 4-2) over South Korea in the first semifinal match , that was played at the Gongshu Canal Sports Park Stadium, Hangzhou, China on Wednesday. For the Harmanpreet Singh led side centre-half’s Hardik Singh  (5') and Mandeep Singh (11'), substitutes Lalit Kumar Upadhyay (15') and Amit Rohidas (24'), along with forward Abhishek (54') scored the goals on the winning cause, while Manjae Jung (17', 20', 42') scored a hat-trick, for the losers.

Japan on the other hand edged past host China 3-2 (HT 1-0) in the other semi-final played later in the day. For Japan Nagayoshi Ken (29'),Fujishima Raiki 42' and Ooka Ryoma (48’) scored a goal each. On the other hand Lin Changliang (47') and Gao Jiesheng (59’) found the target in the final quarter to reduce the margin of loss.

Speaking on the upcoming Final match, Indian Men's Hockey Team Captain Harmanpreet Singh who is the second highest goal scorer for his team with 11 goals one behind forward Mandeep Singh  said, "There are always nerves at play when you enter a big match. We have been preparing for this tournament for a long time and this is the moment that we have all been waiting for. Winning the Gold medal and securing a spot for the Paris Olympics has always been our target.”

Optimistic after maintaining an unbeaten record in the tourney which included a 4-2 win over reigning champions Japan and having a better track record head to head in 27 outings between the two sides (India have won 22 times, Japan have won thrice, and two games have ended in a draw), the ace drag flicker and key defender Harmanpreet added, “As a team, we never take any opponents lightly. Japan will be equally motivated to avenge the loss and have a really strong team as well that can shift the momentum of the game at any time. We have to remain strong in our defence and not allow any leaks in the defensive third while making the most of the opportunities in the striking circle. The team that will be able to soak up the pressure will be in a better position on Friday".

Indian Men's Hockey Team Chief Coach Craig Fulton on the other hand said that his team needs to be wary of not giving away easy chances. He said “It is always good to see when the entire team is contributing up front both while scoring and defending (15 different goalscorers who have scored a cumulative of 63 goals, while the defence led by the last line of defence goalkeepers P.R. Sreejesh and Krishan Pathak have conceded only eight in six matches so far) for India. It showcases that everyone is equally motivated, and the players are willing to switch up from their position, whenever possible. It always puts pressure on the opposition to know that every member of our team is equally capable of getting the ball into the net or fall back when needs arises in case of defending, as all it takes is one goal to lose the big one, so we have to be cautious. We hope we continue in the same vein of form as we have done so far in the tournament in the Final against Japan and get the win that we have been working for over the past few months."

Indian Women’s Hockey Team to face Japan for Bronze

The Indian Women’s Hockey Team suffered a 0-4 loss against host China in the 1st Semi-Final of the 19th Asian Games Hangzhou 2022 on Thursday 5th October, 2023. Despite creating multiple chances, India were not able to get on the scoresheet, while China netted four goals through Jiaqi Zhong (25’), Meirong Zou (40’), Meiyu Liang (55’), and Bingfeng GU (60’).  They will next take on Japan in the Bronze medal playoffs match to be played on Saturday.

Earlier defending champions Japan went down fighting to four times former champions South Korea in 3-4 in penalty shootout after their semi-final match ended in 2-all draw.

Photo Action: The morale boosting 5-3 win over South Korea in semis, will only inspire Indian Men’s Hockey team to once again give their best against reigning champions Japan (Photo courtesy Hockey India