Sports/Alive News: India defeated Malaysia 4-2 in the Asian Champions Trophy, with captain Harmanpreet Singh scoring a brilliant hat-trick to guide the team to its fourth consecutive victory. India maintained their unbeaten record and continued to lead the points table.
The match was played at the Olympian Surjit Singh Stadium in Jalandhar. Harmanpreet scored all three of his goals through penalty corners, while Sukhjeet Singh added another goal for India.
Harmanpreet scores twice before Sukhjeet extends lead
Harmanpreet opened India’s account in the third minute by converting a penalty corner. Malaysia fought back and managed to equalise before half-time, making the score 1-1.
India returned with an attacking approach in the second half. Harmanpreet scored his second goal in the 33rd minute through another penalty corner. Sukhjeet Singh then found the net in the 43rd minute to give India a 3-1 advantage.
Harmanpreet completed his hat-trick in the 58th minute by converting a penalty stroke. Malaysia’s Shylo Silverius scored in the final minute, but it was not enough to prevent India’s victory.
Four teams qualify for semi-finals
India, Malaysia, Japan and South Korea have secured places in the semi-finals. All four teams confirmed their qualification following Sunday’s matches.
South Korea defeated Bangladesh 5-0, while Japan and China played out a 2-2 draw.
Despite the defeat, Malaysia put up a strong challenge against India, with its organised defence attempting to disrupt India’s passing combinations. Indian coach Craig Fulton and captain Harmanpreet also stressed the need to improve the team’s conversion rate and make better use of scoring opportunities.
