Defending champions India continued their unbeaten march at the Asian Games men's hockey competition, defeating hosts Japan 2-0 in a tense Pool A contest on Saturday to seal a place in the semifinals.
The result extended India's perfect run in the tournament to four wins from four matches, following earlier routs of Indonesia 13-1, Sri Lanka 16-1 and South Korea 8-2. With one pool match still to play against Bangladesh on September 28, India have already done enough to advance, and they are expected to finish the group stage with another comfortable victory.
Against Japan, however, the margin of victory did not reflect the difficulty of the contest. The hosts, playing in front of home support, matched India's intensity for long stretches and made the defending champions work hard for every opening. India eventually prevailed through a field goal from Abhishek in the 15th minute and a penalty-corner strike from skipper Harmanpreet Singh in the 40th minute.
The opening two quarters were particularly competitive, with Japan showing greater control of possession early on and India forced to absorb pressure before asserting themselves in attack. Japan held 60 per cent of the possession in the first quarter and were sharper in the early exchanges, but India's relentless forward movement gradually tilted the balance.
India had an early chance to strike from a penalty corner in the sixth minute, but Harmanpreet could not make the opportunity count as the Japanese defence stood firm. Japan then thought they had taken the lead in the 10th minute when they converted a penalty corner, only for the goal to be disallowed after the umpires ruled that the ball had touched an Indian foot first. The hosts earned another penalty corner soon after, but again failed to break through.
India finally found the breakthrough through Abhishek's field effort in the 15th minute, a crucial goal that settled the defending champions after a testing start. Japan responded with another penalty corner in the 17th minute, but India defended well to preserve the lead.
The second half followed a similar pattern, with India gradually taking control of possession and territory. The decisive second goal came in the 40th minute, when Harmanpreet converted from India's fifth penalty corner with a fierce low flick to the right of the Japanese goalkeeper. It was a captain's finish at a key moment, doubling India's advantage and easing the pressure on the side.
Even so, the match exposed an area of concern for chief coach Craig Fulton. India earned 10 penalty corners on the day but converted only one, a return that will likely draw scrutiny as the tournament moves into the knockout rounds. Against stronger opposition, such inefficiency could prove costly, especially in tightly contested matches where set pieces often decide outcomes.
India dominated possession in the fourth quarter and won four penalty corners in quick succession, but Japan's defence remained disciplined and denied them a bigger winning margin. The hosts, despite the defeat, showed enough resilience to suggest they can trouble opponents in the remaining pool fixtures.
For India, the immediate objective has been achieved: a semifinal berth secured with a game to spare. But while the scoreline preserved their unbeaten record and underlined their superiority in the pool, the performance also offered a reminder that the road ahead will demand greater precision, especially from penalty corners, if they are to defend their title successfully.