India stormed into the final of the Asian Champions Trophy hockey with a 8-1 victory over South Korea in the semi-final played at the Olympian Balbir Singh Senior International Hockey Stadium in Mohali.
The hosts extended their dominant run in the tournament with another attacking display. In the final, they will take on Japan, who beat Malaysia in the other semi-final, 5-3 in a shootout after the match had ended goalless.
India, who thumped Korea 8-0 in the league stage, made a flying start again with Shilanand Lakra opening the scoring in the fourth minute. Lakra finished brilliantly after a superb run and build-up play from Dilpreet Singh down the left flank.
South Korea responded against the run of play in the ninth minute, with Han Sang-jun beating goalkeeper Suraj Karkera to level the scores. However, India’s reply was immediate. Captain Harmanpreet Singh restored the lead in the 10th minute with a powerful drag-flick from a penalty corner, registering his 10th goal of the tournament.
Lakra struck again in the 13th minute, reacting quickly to a rebound after Harmanpreet’s drag-flick was saved to put India 3-1 ahead at the end of the first quarter.
India continued their attacking dominance in the second quarter. Sukhjeet Singh made it 4-1 in the 19th minute with a superb no-look finish following a pass from Sanjay.
Dilpreet Singh capitalised on a South Korean defensive error a minute later to extend the lead before scoring his second goal in the 25th minute. He produced a stunning first-time finish from a tight angle after receiving a long pass from Harmanpreet.
The Indian onslaught continued in the 31st minute when Angad Bir Singh added the seventh goal, getting a crucial touch to Jarmanpreet Singh’s delivery from the right.
India maintained complete control for the remainder of the match, restricting South Korea’s opportunities while continuing to threaten in attack. Vivek Sagar Prasad rounded off the emphatic victory in the 53rd minute with a brilliant reverse-hit finish after a diagonal run and excellent ball control.
The triumph underlined India’s attacking firepower, clinical finishing and tournament dominance. With an unbeaten record, the hosts will now turn their attention to Japan, the only team to show any level of resistance against the Asian Games champions in the group stage.