India thrash China 7-0 to set up Asia Cup final against Korea

Rajgir: The Indian men’s hockey team stormed into the final of the Hero Men’s Asia Cup Rajgir Bihar 2025 with a commanding 7-0 victory over China in their third Super 4s encounter at the Rajgir Hockey Stadium on Saturday.

Abhishek (46’, 50’), Shilanand Lakra (4’), Dilpreet Singh (7’), Mandeep Singh (18’), Raj Kumar Pal (37’) and Sukhjeet Singh (39’) were on the scoresheet for India, who dominated the match from start to finish. India will now meet defending champions Korea in the final on Sunday evening.

India drew first blood early in the opening quarter when Harmanpreet Singh’s aerial ball found Jarmanpreet Singh on the right flank. His cross was neatly finished by Shilanand Lakra in the 4th minute. Three minutes later, India earned their first penalty corner. Harmanpreet’s dragflick was blocked, but Dilpreet Singh pounced on the rebound to double the lead.

The second quarter saw continued pressure from India. Abhishek set up a golden chance for Mandeep Singh in the 17th minute, but the forward failed to connect. However, in the very next minute, Mandeep made amends when he latched onto a rebound from Vivek Sagar Prasad’s strike off a penalty corner to slot in India’s third.

China were pegged back in their own half for much of the game as India’s attack grew sharper. In the 37th minute, Raj Kumar Pal tapped in following a fine cross from Lakra, before Sukhjeet Singh smashed home two minutes later off a baseline pass from Dilpreet to make it 5-0.

The final quarter brought more joy for the home crowd. Within a minute, Sukhjeet cut through the Chinese defence to feed Abhishek, who calmly slotted into an empty net. The forward added another in the 50th minute with a sharp backhand finish, sealing India’s emphatic 7-0 win.

With the result, India topped the Super 4s table and booked their place in Sunday’s final against Korea, who edged Malaysia 4-3 in the other contest.

Other Results:

Kazakhstan beat Chinese Taipei 6-4 to claim 7th place.

Korea defeated Malaysia 4-3 to enter the final.

The India vs Korea final will be played on Sunday, September 7, at 7:30 PM IST. Matches are live on Sony Sports Network in India, while fans in the USA, UK, Netherlands, Europe and North America can stream the tournament on Watch.Hockey.