India’s strong comeback on Pakistan, youth team reached Asia Cup final with four goals from Purti Ashish Tani

New Delhi . In the Men’s U-18 Hockey Asia Cup 2026, the Indian youth team has performed brilliantly and made it to the final. In the thrilling match played against arch-rival Pakistan in the semi-finals, India made a tremendous comeback and won 5-3. The hero of this victory was Purti Ashish Tani, who single-handedly changed the course of the match by scoring four goals and took the Indian team to the title match.

From the very beginning of this much-awaited match played at the Kawasaki Heavy Industries Hockey Stadium, both the teams displayed aggressive play. India tried to apply pressure from the initial minutes and got a penalty stroke opportunity in the first quarter. Despite the opposition team’s objection, the decision remained intact and Purti Ashish Tani gave India an early lead by scoring a goal in the 12th minute. This goal boosted the confidence of the Indian players and the team ended the first quarter with a 1-0 lead.

In the second quarter, Pakistan intensified its efforts to make a comeback in the match. He put pressure on the Indian defense through continuous attacks and penalty corners. The Indian goalkeeper and defense made brilliant saves on several occasions, but Pakistan got the breakthrough in the 27th minute. Adeel scored with a brilliant finish to level the score at 1-1. After this, both the teams tried to take the lead, but the match remained equal till half time.

The game became more exciting in the third quarter. For India, Ali Shahrukh scored a goal in the 35th minute to give the team a 2-1 lead. However, this lead could not be sustained for long and Pakistan equalized after just two minutes. After this, Pakistan increased its dominance by scoring a goal on the penalty corner and took a lead of 3-2. At that time it seemed that the match could go in Pakistan’s favor and the pressure on the Indian team had increased.

But in the last quarter the Indian players showed extraordinary fighting spirit. The team adopted aggressive tactics and continuously attacked Pakistan’s goalposts. Meanwhile, Purti Ashish Tani once again took the responsibility. He first brought India back into the match by scoring the equalizing goal and then completed his hat-trick by scoring a brilliant goal in the 53rd minute. This goal gave India a significant lead of 4-3.

After this the Pakistan team came under pressure and the Indian players maintained control over the match. In the final stages of the match, Tani also scored his fourth goal, which further strengthened India’s lead. His brilliant performance ended all chances of Pakistan’s comeback and India registered a memorable 5-3 victory.

With this victory, the Indian team not only secured its place in the finals, but also proved that young players have the ability to face big challenges in pressure-packed matches. Now the team is eyeing the title, where it will face Japan. Indian fans will be hoping that the players who performed brilliantly in the semi-finals will continue their momentum in the final as well and bring another important hockey title to the country.