India beat Pakistan 4-3 in Asian Games hockey semifinal to reach gold-medal match

Pakistan’s produced a stirring second-half fightback only to fall agonisingly short, losing 4-3 to arch-rivals India in a dramatic Asian Games hockey semi-final at the Gifu Prefectural Green Stadium on Thursday. The Green Shirts, who finished second in Pool ‘B’ after a solitary defeat to Malaysia, recovered from a three-goal deficit to level the scores, but a deflected strike from Abhishek with under a minute remaining ended their gold-medal hopes. Pakistan will now contest the bronze-medal match on Saturday, while defending champions India advance to the final and remain on course for a direct berth at the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics, which is awarded to the Asian Games gold medallists. India, who topped Pool ‘A’ undefeated with an extraordinary goal difference, struck early through captain Harmanpreet Singh. The drag-flick specialist converted penalty corners in the fifth minute and 13th minute to give his side a 2-0 cushion at the first break. Sukhjeet Singh then extended the lead to 3-0 in the 23rd minute with a field goal after a well-worked move involving Manpreet Singh and Shilanand Lakra. Pakistan responded just before half-time when captain Abu Bakar Mahmood converted a penalty corner in the 30th minute to make it 3-1. The third quarter saw Ammad Butt receive a yellow card in the 38th minute. Pakistan continued to press and reduced the deficit further when Abdul Hannan Shahid scored in the 45th minute, capitalising on defensive lapses. Dilpreet Singh was shown a green card around the same period. Early in the final quarter, Rana Waheed Ashraf levelled the scores at 3-3 in the 49th minute, sparking hopes of a famous comeback or at least a penalty shootout. With the match finely balanced, Abhishek found space on the right of the circle and his effort took a deflection to beat Pakistan goalkeeper Muneeb-ur-Rehman Raza with less than a minute left on the clock. The result extended India’s unbeaten run against Pakistan to 21 matches. Pakistan had shown strong form in the group stage, scoring freely against Thailand, Uzbekistan, China and Oman, and their resilience against a dominant Indian side offered encouragement despite the heartbreak. India will face the winner of the second semi-final between Malaysia and South Korea in Saturday’s gold-medal match. Pakistan’s bronze-medal fixture will also take place on the same day as they seek to salvage a podium finish at the Aichi-Nagoya Games.

India men's hockey team defeated arch-rivals Pakistan 4-3 in a thrilling semifinal at the Gifu Prefectural Green Stadium on Thursday to enter the gold medal match at the Asian Games. The victory sends India into the hockey gold medal match, while Pakistan will play for the bronze medal. India will take on the winner of the second semifinal between Malaysia and Korea.

India produced a thrilling 4-3 victory over Pakistan in the men’s hockey semi-final at the Asian Games 2026, sealing their place in the gold-medal match after a dramatic contest at Gifu Prefectural Green Stadium.The high-stakes clash lived up to the expectations surrounding one of hockey’s most closely followed rivalries. India entered the semi-final unbeaten, having topped Pool A with five wins from five matches, while Pakistan had finished second in their pool after a narrow 4-5 defeat to Malaysia.FULL TIME: INDIA 4-3 PAKISTAN — The Khel India (@TheKhelIndia) October 1, 2026 The match turned into a back-and-forth thriller, with both teams refusing to give the other any breathing room. India eventually edged Pakistan 4-3 after a tense battle that went down to the wire, sending the defending champions into the final.With the 4-3 win, India have now secured their place in the Asian Games men's hockey final and remain on course to defend their title. The gold-medal match will also carry significant importance, with the Asian Games champions earning direct qualification for the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics.