Harmanpreet Singh's hat-trick guides India to 4-2 victory against Malaysia

In the Asian Champions Trophy, the Indian hockey team continued its winning streak by securing a 4-2 victory against Malaysia. Backed by captain Harmanpreet Singh's stellar performance and his hat-trick, India triumphed in this thrilling match. With this win, India remains undefeated in the tournament and maintains the top spot in the points table. Both teams had already secured their places in the semi-finals in this important clash of the Hero Asian Champions Trophy Punjab 2026.

According to a report by Amar Ujala, India has registered four consecutive victories in this tournament so far. Earlier, India defeated Bangladesh, China, and Japan. In its opening matches, India defeated Bangladesh 13-0, China 5-2, and Japan 4-1. With this win against Malaysia, India has won four out of four matches. A total of six teams are participating in this tournament, in which South Korea and Japan have also reached the semi-finals alongside India and Malaysia.

During the third quarter of the match, the Indian team played an extremely aggressive game. In the 33rd minute, India got a penalty corner, which Harmanpreet Singh converted into a goal with a brilliant drag flick. With this goal, India took a 2-1 lead. Thereafter, in the 43rd minute, Sukhjeet Singh scored a field goal to extend India's lead to 3-1. The buildup for this goal was initiated by vice-captain Hardik Singh. After gaining possession of the ball in the midfield, Hardik passed it to Sukhjeet, who converted it into a goal with an exquisite tomahawk shot.

In the final moments of the match, Harmanpreet completed his hat-trick. In the dying moments of the match, India got its sixth penalty corner. When Harmanpreet Singh was flicking towards the goal, it hit the body of a Malaysian defender, resulting in a penalty stroke being awarded to India. In the 58th minute, Harmanpreet converted this penalty stroke into a goal to complete his hat-trick and give India a 4-1 lead. According to a report by The Times of India, fans were mesmerized by this performance of Harmanpreet Singh.

In the final minute of the match, Malaysia's Shello Silverius scored a field goal to make the score 4-2, but by then victory was assured for India. Malaysia tried to equalize the score for a brief period, but they could not maintain their momentum. With this, India remains undefeated in the tournament.

Talking about the upcoming matches to be played now, in India's final match of the round-robin stage, they will face South Korea on Monday, 2 November. On the other hand, Malaysia will face Japan. With this victory, India has demonstrated its strength and is prepared for the upcoming challenge.