Asian Champions Trophy | Mandeep Singh hatrick helps India thrash Japan 9-0

The Indian team, riding high on confidence after their 3-1 victory against Pakistan on Saturday, started the match with a good rhythm as Forwards Lalit Upadhyay and Akashdeep Singh had chances in the opening few minutes, but it was Mandeep Singh who scored the opener for India in the 4th minute as he deflected Akashdeep Singh's vicious low cross from the left flank, through the Japanese Goalkeeper's leg and into the back of the net. India’s dominance in the opening period saw them win their first Penalty Corner in the 8th minute, which was taken by Harmanpreet Singh and resulted in a goal for Gurjant Singh. Drag-flicker Harmanpreet struck the ball in the centre of goal, forcing Japanese Goalkeeper Takashi Yoshikawa to save the shot through his body, but the ball fell kindly to Gurjant Singh, who pushed it into the back of the net to make it 2-0.

The Indian team continued to dominate the match in the second quarter which saw them win a Penalty Stroke in the 17th minute as Varun Kumar’s execution of a Penalty Corner was saved by Japan’s Goalkeeper Yusuke Takano but skipper Manpreet Singh was the quickest to react, and his shot was intercepted on the line by the head of a Japanese defender. It was Harmanpreet Singh who kept his composure to stroke the ball crisply towards the right of Takano to give India a three-goal advantage. The goal-scorer was in action again in the 21st minute as he drilled in a Penalty Corner towards the right side of goal, beating the Japanese defenders and scoring his second goal of the match. It was a difficult match for the World No. 16 Japanese team as they struggled to put pressure on the Indians, and had to go into the half-time break trailing by four goals.

India continued to put pressure on the Japanese defence in the last quarter as they scored in the 49th minute through a Penalty Corner in which the defending Champions tried a variation. It was Harmanpreet Singh who played a brilliant back-door pass to Varun Kumar, whose slider pass to Mandeep Singh was put in the back of the net on the second attempt by the striker. On the other end of the field, Japan had a chance to open their account in the 53rd minute as they won themselves a Penalty Corner, but the resulting strike was wide of the target as India continued to test the Japanese defence. Forward Mandeep Singh was in action again in the 57th minute as he completed his hat-trick by deflecting Manpreet Singh’s hard and low pass across goal into the back of the net to secure a 9-0 victory for the Indian team.