Summary:
India put in a superb performance in the Asia Cup 2022 Super 4s match against Japan at the GBK Sports Complex Hockey Stadium in Jakarta, Indonesia on Saturday. Manjeet (8′), and Pawan Rajbhar (35′) starred for India, scoring the two goals for the team. Takuma Niwa (18′) scored the sole goal for Japan in the match.
“We changed our strategy for today’s game. We played man-to-man, the boys are young and were willing to go the extra mile in pressing the Japanese team. The defence held strong, it’s important for us to now carry forward this momentum into the game against Malaysia,” stated India Coach Sardar Singh.
India 2-1 Japan: A solid win for India, that. Even when Japan piled on the pressure at the end, Indian defence looked mostly in control. And two wonderful goals. Malaysia and Korea drew 2-2 earlier, so India go top of the Super 4s. On Sunday in Super 4s it will be Japan vs Korea and Malaysia vs India.
Player of the match: Manjeet. What a goal that was, the opening strike was a stunner.
India 2-1 Japan: India hand Japan their first defeat of the tournament! A reversal of the Pool A result, and an impressive win for the young Indian side.
FULL TIME: India defeat Japan 2-1. That’s a brilliant result for the inexperienced Indian side.
Q4, India 2-1 Japan: Good work by the Indian forwards to eat up a few seconds and then a yellow card for Abharan.
Q4, India 2-1 Japan: India ball with 33 seconds left. Need to be smart here.
Q4, India 2-1 Japan: Sustained pressure from Japan down the right flank. India hang on. 40 seconds.
Q4, India 2-1 Japan: 100 seconds left.
Q4, India 2-1 Japan: India fully pegged back now. But solid defending still. Looked like it was Karthi who made a brilliant tackle there.
Q4, India 2-1 Japan: India keep their referral. Looks like Yashdeep Siwach was the one who wanted this looked at. Well done.
Q4, India 2-1 Japan: A lengthy review this one... and a crucial one too.
Q4, India 2-1 Japan: Into the final three minutes, Indian defence has held strong but Japan have another PC now. India review this (which means the previous one was an umpire referral)
Q4, India 2-1 Japan: The attacking moves are starting to fizz out a bit now, but defensively India are still holding string. Less than six minutes to go.
Q4, India 2-1 Japan: Pressure from Japan, Indian defence hangs on. Worth noting the Indian forward play hasn’t been absent either, they are not sitting back on this 1-goal lead yet. 10 mins to go.
Q4, India 2-1 Japan: Break in play as Selvam Karthi needs attention after a clash of bodies inside the circle. Not quite sure who reviewed that play, but no PC for India (and unsure if they lost their referral).
Quite a big swing in the possession numbers as per the official stats. India controlled the match much better after the half time. Final quarter begins.
End of Q3, India 2-1 Japan: Solid quarter for India.
Q3, India 2-1 Japan: Little bit of a lull in the match again and India would love that. Some controlled possession... just as we type that, another speedy move down the left from India. But it breaks down in the end. That’s been the preferred channel of attack for India. Manjeet and Uttam with good work.
Both the Indian goals so far have come from some wonderful stick work down the left byline.
Q3, India 2-1 Japan: A PC for Japan, their 5th of the match and it goes awry. Five minutes left in this quarter.
Q3, India 2-1 Japan: GOAL INDIA! Brilliant from Uttam Singh down the left byline and he sets up Pawan Rajbhar for a good finish. Beautifully worked by India.
Here’s a look at the half-time stats in this Super 4s match. Quite an even battle overall.
An entertaining half of hockey comes to an end in Jakarta with nothing to separate the two sides! Japan started well, India took the lead thanks to a stunning goal, the Japan equalised.
Half time: India 1-1 Japan
Q2, India 1-1 Japan: Green card for Maninder as he goes full force for a finish into the goal after the whistle went. The Japan GK wasn’t happy with that.
Q2, India 1-1 Japan: Both goalkeepers have had to be at their best in this match so far. A period of lull now. India’s forward play not quite coordinated. Quite a few times already today some of the attackers not on the same page.
Q2, India 1-1 Japan: A terrific chance for India now, 1v1 with the goalkeeper after a smart pass from Sunil. Karthi Selvam however hits the finish straight at the Japan GK.
Q2, India 1-1 Japan: SAVE, SURAJ AGAIN! AND THEN CROSSBAR! Another PC for Japan, Suraj saves the drag flick but the rebound is nearly acrobatically converted but Kato hits the crossbar.
Q2, India 1-1 Japan: SAVE, SURAJ! The Indian GK is alert to the change of direction in the PC this time, going down right and low to keep this PC out. India have a chance to counter, but SV Sunil’s final ball not the best.
Q2, India 1-1 Japan, GOAL JAPAN! Takuma Niwa taps in a rebound after the drag flick is parried by Suraj Karkera. Japan deservingly back level.
Q2, India 1-0 Japan: Second quarter underway. And in the first three minutes a PC for Japan.
End of Q1, India 1-0 Japan: A PC for India not long after scoring the goal but Dipsan is off the field. It’s Xess who takes it and it seemed to hit an Indian player. Was heading on target. Japan then come back with a couple of chances, but the Indian defence holds on.
Q1, India 1-0 Japan: STUNNING GOAL! Manjeet shows excellent 3D skills down the left byline and scores the opening goal from a tight angle.
Q1, India 0-0 Japan: Japan started the match with a flurry of attacking moves. India have settled in alright since then but no real attacking penetration for the Indian team so far. 9 mins to go in Q1.
Q1, India 0-0 Japan: An early PC for Japan and the drag flick is powerful but too high.
Pushback! National anthems done. Here’s a look at the team’s stats so far in this tournament:
A look at the Japan squad:
India captain Birendra Lakra: Every one is happy in the squad, motivated after qualifying Super 4s. Confident to do well today. We made a lot of mistakes in the Japan match earlier, we will make sure we won’t repeat. We have had a couple of days to study it.
Japan topped Pool A, including a 5-2 against India and are arguably the team to beat in this tournament. Birendra Lakra and Co then produced a stunning 16-0 result against Indonesia (coupled with Pakistan’s defeat to Japan) to sneak into the Super 4s.
Hockey, Asia Cup, India vs Japan as it happened: Disciplined Japan defeat sloppy India 5-2
Here’s a look at the starting lineup for India:
04.45 pm: Hello and welcome to our live coverage of the 2022 men’s hockey Asia Cup in Jakarta. It’s Super 4s time in the tournament, where the top four teams compete in a round-robin format.
After a thrilling match between Japan and Pakistan, which ended 3-2 in Japan’s favour, meant Japan joined Malaysia and Korea as the three teams to qualify for the World Cup. As the host nation, India had already qualified.
At the continental showpiece event, India, Japan, Malaysia and Korea have all won through to the top four of the competition, with the Super4s finals taking place over the weekend to decide the overall winner of the event.
Hockey, Asia Cup, India vs Indonesia, as it happened: India win 16-0 to go through to the Super 4