The Indian men's hockey team continued its impressive run at the Asian Champions Trophy 2026, delivering another commanding performance against South Korea to book its place in the final with a convincing 8-1 victory at the Olympian Balbir Singh International Hockey Stadium in Mohali on Wednesday.
Having dismantled South Korea 8-0 in their final round-robin encounter, the hosts once again proved too strong for their opponents, producing an eight-goal performance in the semifinal. India will now face Japan in Thursday's summit clash as they look to cap off their campaign with the coveted title.
Shilanand Lakra (4', 13') and Dilpreet Singh (21', 25') led India's attacking charge with two goals apiece. Captain Harmanpreet Singh (9'), Sukhjeet Singh (21'),
Angad Bir Singh (36') and Vivek Sagar Prasad (54') also found the back of the net to complete a dominant team performance.
India wasted little time asserting their authority, with Shilanand Lakra opening the scoring in the fourth minute. Captain Harmanpreet Singh then doubled the advantage through a powerful penalty-corner drag-flick in the ninth minute, registering his 10th goal of the tournament.
Lakra struck again in the 13th minute to extend India's lead to 3-0. However, South Korea managed to pull one back through Han Sangjun, giving their supporters a brief moment of hope.
The visitors' goal did little to slow down India's momentum. The hosts came out firing in the second quarter, adding three more goals to establish a commanding 6-1 advantage at half-time.
Sukhjeet Singh and Dilpreet Singh struck in quick succession in the 21st minute before Dilpreet completed his brace in the 25th minute with an excellent finish. India's relentless attacking pressure left the South Korean defence struggling to contain the hosts.
The Indian team maintained its attacking intensity after the break, with Angad Bir Singh adding the seventh goal in the 36th minute. South Korea continued to struggle against India's pace, movement and attacking combinations.
Vivek Sagar Prasad put the finishing touch on an emphatic victory, scoring India's eighth goal in the 54th minute to seal an 8-1 semifinal triumph.
India will now turn their attention towards Japan, who secured their place in the final after overcoming Malaysia in a tense semifinal.
The contest remained goalless after regulation time, forcing the two teams into a penalty shootout. Japan held their nerve, converting all five attempts to register a 5-3 shootout victory and book their ticket to the final.
The India-Japan title clash is scheduled to begin at 7:00 PM IST on Thursday, with the hosts aiming to finish their impressive campaign on a winning note in front of their home supporters.
