BS News Agency: The Indian hockey team kept its all-win record intact by thrashing South Korea 8-0 in the last match of the group league in the Asian Champions Trophy. Harmanpreet and his team will face South Korea in the semi-finals on Wednesday at the Olympian Balbir Singh Senior International Hockey Stadium in Mohali.
The Indian team has won all 5 matches in the league stage and is at the top with 15 points. They have scored 34 goals and conceded only 5. Now the Indian team has the goal of winning the Asian Champions Trophy title for the sixth time by defeating South Korea in the final. Earlier, India was the champion in 2011, 2016, 2018 (joint winner with Pakistan), 2023 and 2024.
This is the second time in three days that India and Korea are facing each other in the same tournament. Not only did India beat Korea by a big margin in the ongoing Champions Trophy, but Harmanpreet also defeated Korea 8-2 on the way to winning the gold in the 2026 Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games. The gold in the Asian Games gave the Indian hockey team a direct qualification to the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics.
Despite defeating Korea 8-0 in the group stage, Harmanpreet is not taking them lightly in the semi-finals. Indian team coach Craig Fulton has warned the team's players before the semi-finals not to get complacent. According to him, "The semi-final battle is completely new and different. There will be a different kind of pressure. We have to start well, that will be the key to success."
Harmanpreet scored 9 goals from her stick in the league stage. Another drag flicker Yugraj scored 3 goals. Two forwards Sukhjit Singh and Dilpreet Singh scored 4 goals each. He made his debut with 3 goals. Although he did not play in the Korea match due to injury. The victory of the Indian team in the Korea match depends on their brilliant form.
Japan will face Malaysia in the other semi-final. China will fight against Bangladesh in the fight for fifth and sixth place.