India edge past Pakistan in Asian Games men's hockey semi-final

NAGOYA: Abhishek's last-minute goal helped India secure a narrow 4-3 victory over arch-rivals in the blockbuster semi-final of the Asian Games 2026 men's hockey competition here at the Kawasaki Juko Stadium on Thursday.

India made a dominant start to the enthralling fixture as they netted two goals, both through Harmanpreet Singh, in the first quarter to assert an early dominance.

After conceding the two goals, Pakistan received four penalty corners, three in the first and one in the opening five minutes of the second quarter, but they could not pull one back, and the scoreboard remained 2-0 in India's favour.

Sukhjeet Singh later bolstered India's lead to 3-0 with a sensational field goal in the 23rd minute, presumably making it a one-sided affair.

Pakistan eventually got on the board in the last minute of the second quarter, courtesy of Abu Bakar Mahmood, who scored his first by successfully converting a penalty corner.

The Green Shirts' comeback gained traction in the penultimate quarter, which saw them reduce India's advantage to just one goal as Hannan Shahid scored a sensational field goal in the 45th minute.

Pakistan made an ideal start to the final quarter as Rana Waheed Ashraf's 49th-minute goal helped them finally neutralise India's advantage with just over 10 minutes remaining.

The blockbuster Asian Games 2026 looked on track to head into the penalty shootout after Ashraf's equaliser, but India managed to net the winner in the final minute through Abhishek and snatch a 4-3 victory over their traditional rivals.

The victory propelled India into the final of the competition, while Pakistan will face either Malaysia or South Africa in the bronze-medal match.