India secured a place in the men’s hockey final at the 2026 Asian Games after edging Pakistan 4-3 in a dramatic semifinal in Kakamigahara on Thursday. Abhishek scored the decisive goal with less than a minute remaining, completing a remarkable late escape for the defending champions.
India began strongly and quickly established control. Captain Harmanpreet Singh converted penalty corners in the fifth and 13th minutes to put India 2-0 ahead. Sukhjeet Singh then added a field goal in the 23rd minute, giving India a commanding three-goal advantage.
Pakistan, however, refused to surrender. Abu Mahmood reduced the deficit before half-time, while Hannan Shahid scored in the 45th minute to make it 3-2. Waheed Rana then completed Pakistan’s comeback in the 49th minute, bringing the scores level at 3-3 and putting India under intense pressure.
With the match appearing headed towards a tense finish, India produced one final attacking move. Abhishek found the net with only 49 seconds remaining, his strike taking a deflection before beating the Pakistani goalkeeper. The late goal ended Pakistan’s comeback and sent India through to the gold-medal match.
The result extends India’s unbeaten run against Pakistan in men’s hockey to 21 matches, according to India Today. India will face the winner of the second semifinal between South Korea and Malaysia in the final.
India’s victory also came despite Pakistan matching the contest at 3-3 after trailing by three goals, leaving the Indian side with defensive issues to address before the gold-medal match.
