India, the defending champions and Olympic bronze medalists, were defeated 3-5 by Japan in the second semifinal of the Asian Champions Trophy men’s hockey tournament. India became overwhelming favorites entering into the match after hammering the same opponents 6-0 in their last round-robin match and also on head-to-head record. The Japanese, on the other hand, was of a different mind. The Japanese appeared to be a completely different squad on Tuesday, messing with Manpreet Singh’s defense right from the outset. The dominance of Japan was so complete that statistics and the scoreline were insufficient to describe the game. And even though India had more circle entries (23 to 19) and greater possession (54 percent to 46 percent), they had more shots on goal (9 to India’s 6). On the other hand, professional coaches think that the outcome of a team’s possession is more significant than the possession itself. Japan was able to make the best of its circumstances.
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Japan’s goals came from Shota Yamada (1st-minute penalty kick), Raiki Fujishima (2nd minute), Yoshiki Kirishita (14th), Kosei Kawabe (35th), and Ryoma Ooka (41st). Dilpreet Singh (17th minute), Harmanpreet Singh (43rd minute), and Hardik Singh scored for India (58th). Previously, India and Japan met 18 times, with the hosts winning 16 times, Japan winning once, and one game resulting in a draw. Japan will face South Korea in the final match. In contrast, India will face Pakistan again in the bronze medal match on Wednesday. After winning the round-robin contests with an undefeated record, the event ended in a setback for India. “I think we were a bit lazy,” skipper Manpreet Singh said after the match. “It is a lesson for us. The result proves we can’t take any team lightly.” In another semifinal, South Korea won a dramatic 6-5 match over Pakistan.
