Asia Cup hockey: Resurgent India beat Japan 2-1 in the first Super 4 league match

The 2017 men's Asia Hockey Cup Champions had lost 2-5 against Japan in a pool stage match. The Indian side avenged their previous loss with two fantastic field goals in their first Super 4 league match. 

Manjeet in the 8th minute and Pawan Rajbhar in the 35th minute were the goal scorers for India, while Takuma Niwa in the 18th minute was the sole goalscorer for Japan.

Japan started the first quarter aggressively and got a penalty corner in the very first minute of the game. However, the Indian squad thwarted Japanese attacks and found their footing as the match moved ahead.

In the 8th minute, Manjeet made a solo run down the left on the left flank and fired the ball into the net past Japanese goalkeeper Takashi Yoshikawa after receiving a well-placed pass from Pawan Rajbhar. India got an opportunity to double the lead with a penalty corner in the 13th minuter, but Nilam Sanjeep Xess failed to break past the Japanese defence. The first quarter ended with a 1-0 lead for India.

Japan had a great start to the second quarter and secured a penalty corner in the 18th minute of the match. Indian goalkeeper Karkera saved the initial shot from Ken Nagayoshi, but Takuma Niwas scored from a rebound to level the score. Japan attempted to build the momentum and secured two more penalty corners but failed to break past India's wall of defence. Karthi Selvam broke past the Japanese line of defence in the final minutes of the first half but could not make use of an excellent opportunity to regain the lead as he could not get past the Japanese goalkeeper in a one on one scenario.

Pawan Rajbhar regained the lead for India in the 35th minute with a close-range shot after receiving a well-placed pass from Uttam Singh. Japan tried to build up the pressure and mounted a counter-attack, but the Indian side went defensive and held on to their narrow lead. The match ended with India beating Japan 2-1.

India will lock horns with Malaysia in their next Super 4 stage match on May 29.