The Indian Men’s Under-18 Hockey Team continued their strong run at the Asia Cup 2026 by defeating Pakistan 5-3 in the semi-finals to book their place in the final.
In this match played at the Kawasaki Heavy Industries Hockey Stadium, the Indian team came back to win in the final quarter. Purti Ashish Tani was man of the match and scored four goals.
From the beginning of the match, both the teams showed an aggressive game. India were awarded a penalty stroke in the dying moments of the first quarter, which Ashish Tani converted to give India a 1–0 lead. India maintained this lead till the end of the first quarter.
In the second quarter, Pakistan continued to attack and create pressure. In the 27th minute, Adil scored to level the score at 1-1.
In the 35th minute of the third quarter, Ali Shahrukh scored a field goal to give India a 2-1 lead. However, Muhammad Farhan Aslam scored for Pakistan to make the score 2-2.
Pakistan then got a penalty corner, which Uzair Ahmed converted to give his team a 3-2 lead. Pakistan was leading till the end of the third quarter.
The Indian team made a comeback in the fourth and final quarter. In the 49th minute, Ashish Tani scored a goal to tie India 3-3. He then scored two more goals in the 53rd and 56th minutes to complete his hat-trick and extend India’s lead to 5–3.
In the final minutes, the Indian defense did not give Pakistan any chance and India entered the final with a win.
With this win, the Indian U-18 team has qualified for the finals of the tournament, where they will face Japan. The title clash between the two teams will be the final match of the tournament. The Indian team reached the final with a consistent performance throughout the tournament.
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