India survived a stunning three-goal Pakistan comeback to win 4-3 and advance to the men's hockey final at the Asian Games 2026 on Thursday, 1 October, at the Gifu Prefectural Green Stadium in Kakamigahara, Japan. The defending champions have confirmed at least a silver medal and are now one win away from securing direct qualification for the Los Angeles 2028 Olympics.

A Historic Double Final

The victory delivered more than just a place in the gold-medal match. With India's women's team also having qualified for their final earlier in the day, both squads are competing in Asian Games hockey finals simultaneously — a feat the country last achieved in 1998. That year, the men won gold on penalties against South Korea while the women finished runners-up to the same opponents. No edition of the Asian Games has seen India clinch hockey gold in both competitions; the 2026 Games offer both teams that historic opportunity.

How the Match Unfolded

India made an authoritative start, with captain Harmanpreet Singh opening the scoring in the 5th minute — firing through the legs of Pakistan goalkeeper Muneeb-ur-Rehman Raza after several penalty corners. He doubled the advantage in the 13th minute with another powerful penalty-corner conversion as India dominated possession throughout the opening quarter.

Sukhjeet Singh made it 3-0 in the 23rd minute, finishing a flowing move that started with Manpreet Singh winning the ball before Shilanand Lakra drove down the left and cut it across goal.

Pakistan began their revival just before the interval. Abu Mahmood converted a penalty corner in the 30th minute to make it 3-1. Hannan Shahid pulled another back in the 45th minute to reduce the deficit to 3-2. Then, three minutes into the final quarter, Rana Waheed converted a delivery from the right to complete the comeback and level at 3-3, suddenly threatening India with a shootout.

Abhishek's Last-Gasp Winner

With barely seconds left on the clock, Abhishek found space on the right side of the circle and got a decisive deflection past Raza to restore India's lead. Pakistan could not respond before the final hooter, sealing a 4-3 victory and extending India's unbeaten run against their neighbours to 21 consecutive matches.

Road to the Gold-Medal Match

India will face the winner of the second semi-final between South Korea and Malaysia in the gold-medal match. A win in that fixture would not only retain their Asian Games title but also confirm direct Olympic qualification for the Paris cycle's successor — the Los Angeles 2028 Games — as the Asiad gold medallist earns an automatic berth. India's women, meanwhile, will face defending champions China in their final, setting up a potential golden sweep for Indian hockey at these Games.