India survived a dramatic Pakistan comeback to win 4-3 in the men's hockey semifinal at the Asian Games in Kakamigahara, Japan on Thursday, 1 October 2026, booking a place in the gold-medal match. Abhishek struck the decisive goal with approximately 40 seconds remaining to seal a nerve-shredding victory after Pakistan had levelled at 3-3 in the final quarter.

How India Built the Lead

Harmanpreet Singh opened the scoring for India, before the captain doubled the advantage with another penalty corner conversion. Sukhjeet Singh then extended the margin to 3-0, appearing to put the contest firmly beyond Pakistan's reach. India were dominant through the first two quarters, combining structure with clinical finishing.

Pakistan's Fightback and the Final Twist

Pakistan, however, refused to capitulate. The side clawed back three goals — two of which India forward Mandeep Singh attributed to structural lapses in the Indian defence during the third and fourth quarters — to level at 3-3. The comeback threatened to push the semifinal into a shootout before Abhishek's last-gasp strike settled the contest and sent India through.

What the Players Said

'Looking at it, we played very good hockey in the first two quarters. In the third and fourth quarters, our structure was not that good. The goals came because of our mistakes. But still, the belief was there that we had to win this match, somehow, without taking it to a shootout. And that is what happened. We scored that goal in the last 40 seconds,' Mandeep said after the match.

Sukhjeet echoed the sentiment, crediting collective effort for the late winner. 'It was a very good match. It was a semifinal, and, as you know, it was against Pakistan. It was a very good, close match. After taking a 3-0 lead, the score became 3-3, and then we scored in the last 40 seconds. It was very good teamwork, especially the way we scored that goal in the final moments,' Sukhjeet Singh said.

Key Lessons Ahead of the Gold-Medal Clash

Mandeep was candid about the team's tactical takeaways heading into the final. 'Our learning point is that whatever happens in the final, we have to execute our structure well across all four quarters,' he said. He also underlined the squad's confidence in defending their Asian Games title. 'Everyone also knows that we won the last time, and winning back-to-back is a very big thing. There is a belief that we will complete that,' he added.

Sukhjeet noted that India kept its composure despite the pressure unique to an India-Pakistan encounter. 'When India and Pakistan play, there is always a bit of a fight. But our focus as a team did not break,' he said.

What's Next: India vs Malaysia in the Final

India will face Malaysia in the Asian Games men's hockey gold-medal match on Saturday. The defending champions will be targeting a historic back-to-back title — a feat that will require the full-game structural discipline that Mandeep and Sukhjeet both identified as the critical lesson from Thursday's semifinal.