A spirited India eked out a fighting 4-3 win over Malaysia in the final to clinch the Asian Champions Trophy hockey tournament for the fourth time in Chennai on Saturday.
Malaysia were aggressive in the first half as the Indians found it difficult to restrict their opponent.
India converted the first PC in the ninth minute, Jugraj scoring with a fierce flick to the right of the Malaysian goalie.
The Indians got into their groove as the match progressed and played full-press hockey after the sluggish start.
But Malaysia didn't sit back and continued to test the Indian defence. Their efforts bore fruit in the 14th minute when Abu Kamal Azari found the back of the net after being fed by Azuan Hasan from the right flank.
Seconds from the first quarter, India secured back-to-back penalty corners but wasted both the chances.
Malaysia kept up their tempo in the second quarter and earned consecutive penalty corners in the 18th minute, the second of which was converted by Razie Rahim as the ball went in after getting a deflection from rusher Amit Rohidas' stick.
Malaysia secured a penalty corner for an unnecessary stick check by Jugraj in the 23rd minute but the effort went wide.
Malaysia got another penalty corner in the 28th minute and this time Muhamad Aminudin made no mistake to hand his side a 3-1 lead at half-time.
Malaysia earned another penalty corner in the 43rd minute but India defended stoutly.
The Indians turned the match on its head in a span of a minute, pumping in two goals to level the scores 3-3.
While India skipper Harmanpreet Singh scored from a penalty stroke in the 45th minute, seconds later Gurjant Singh found the back of the net from field play to make the scoreline 3-3.
India secured a penalty corner six minutes from the final hooter, but Harmanpreet's flick was saved by the opposition goalkeeper.
India kept up the pressure and earned another penalty corner soon, but Harmanpreet's effort went wide.
Akashdeep Singh scored the winner for India with a slap stick from top of the 'D' after receiving a pass from Mandeep Singh.
Japan Outplays South Korea; takes 3rd spot
Japan finished on a high after trumping defending champion South Korea 5-3 during the third-place playoff of the 2023 Asian Champions Trophy in Chennai on Saturday.
Goals from Ryoma Ooka (3rd), Ryosei Kato (9th), Kentaro Fukuda (28th), Shota Yamada (53rd) and Ken Nagayoshi (58th) allowed the Japanese to finish on a high.
Jonghyun Jang (15th and 33rd) and Cheoleon Park (26th) were the goal-scorers for the Koreans.
The first quarter began positively for the Japanese, as they were in attacking mode. Just three minutes into the tie, Ryoma Ooka slammed a field goal through a heavily-loaded Korean defence.
Japan's confidence level was reflected in the gameplay right from the start, as six minutes later, it again managed to penetrate Korea's defence.
This time, it included some haphazard teamwork between Kosei Kawabe and Kentaro Fukuda inside the box before Ryosei Kato tapped in to double the lead for his side from close range.
Nevertheless, the Koreans were not to go down and out so easily. In the 15th, it was a penalty corner for them, which skipper Jonghyun Jang successfully converted to get one back.
It was 2-1 in favour of the Japanese at the end of the first quarter.
The subsequent quarter saw more intense efforts from the Japanese team as it received four PCs, while Ken Nagayoshi received a green card in the 18th.
Korea eventually managed to draw level in the 26th after Cheoleon Park's shot saw a deflection off Woo Cheon Ji's stick while the latter was attempting a reverse stick.
Nonetheless, the Koeans' comeback could last for only two minutes as Kentaro Fukuda restored the Japanese lead after Kosei Kawabe's simplest of assists for the former to tap it in.
Japan headed into the half-time break with a 3-2 lead.
After resumption, Japan earned a PC quickly enough, but could not make the most of it. Three minutes later, it was Korea's turn through a PC and Jang struck to equalise.
It was followed by a silent phase before a PC for the Japanese was saved by the Korean goalkeeper, as it was 3-3 at the end of the third quarter.
The fourth quarter also had an initial lean patch before a Japanese attempt from Kato was denied by the goalie.
In the 53rd minute, the Japanese eventually had their noses ahead again when the ball rose in the air off Kosei Kawabe's stick, only to be slammed in by Shota Yamada as a video referral for a dangerous shot was turned down by the TV umpire.
After three minutes, Japan swelled the lead with Nagayoshi sending the Korean keeper to the wrong side during a penalty stroke. It happened to be the final action of the meeting, as the Japanese managed to prevail 5-3.
