India won the men's hockey final at the Asian Games 2026 after defeating arch-rivals Pakistan 4-3 in a nail-biter on Thursday, October 1.
The match was played at the Gifu Prefectural Green Stadium in Japan. India appeared to be in complete control after a 3-0 lead but Pakistan made a strong comeback to level the match before India got the final goal in the last minute.
Harmanpreet Gives India Early Advantage.
India started aggressively and put Pakistan under pressure from the opening minutes.
The captain Harmanpreet Singh opened the scoring in the fifth minute with a penalty corner drag-flick. He struck again in the 13th minute to make it 2-0 and India was able to keep the lead.
India continued to create opportunities and extended their lead in the 23rd minute. Sukhjeet Singh finished a move created by Shilanand Lakra to make it 3-0.
The three-goal advantage made India a strong position in the latter stages of the first half.
Pakistan Fight Back
Pakistan refused to give up and pulled one goal back just before half-time.
Abu Mahmood converted a penalty corner in the 30th minute to reduce India's advantage to 3-1.
Pakistan returned from the break with more attacking pressure. Hannan Shahid scored in the 45th minute to make it 3-2 bringing India under even more pressure.
The momentum kept shifting as Pakistan tried to make the equaliser. Waheed Rana finally found the net in the 49th minute, after a move by Hannan Shahid and the score was 3-3.
Abhishek Scores Late Winner
With the match on its way to a possible shootout, India had a dramatic late winner.
Abhishek scored with 45 seconds to go. His effort took a deflection off Pakistan defender Sufiyan before going past goalkeeper Ali Raza.
Pakistan tried to get another chance in the closing seconds but India succeeded with a 4-3 win and land their place in the gold medal match.
India Through to Gold-Medal Match
With the victory India will now compete for the men’s hockey gold medal at the Asian Games.
India's opponent in the final will be the winner of the second semifinal between South Korea and Malaysia. Pakistan will compete for the bronze medal.
The victory also continues India's unbeaten run in the tournament. Before the semifinal, the defending champions had won all five of their pool-stage matches.
The dramatic semifinal was another great story in the long-standing India-Pakistan hockey rivalry, as India’s last goal ultimately decided a match that appeared to be heading towards a shootout.
