India are well and truly on a roll at the Asian Champions Trophy. On Friday, they overwhelmed reigning Asian champions Japan 5-0 in the semifinals at the Mayor Radhakrishnan Stadium.
It was yet another big margin win for India. In their previous encounter, they had beaten Pakistan 4-0.
In the final on Sunday, India will play Malaysia, while Japan will take on South Korea in the third- place playoff.
From the very beginning, three-time champions India embraced an aggressive high-press strategy, while Japan opted to position themselves deep in defence to counter the home team’s onslaught.
India's initial scoring opportunity materialized in the form of a penalty corner, but Japan's goalkeeper Takashi Yoshikawa thwarted the attempt, denying who else but captain and PC specialist Harmanpreet Singh.
Following a goalless first quarter, India broke the deadlock in the 19th minute, as Akashdeep Singh capitalized on a rebound from Hardik Singh's initial shot, slotting the ball into the net past Japan's second goalkeeper, Takumi Kitagawa.
India maintained their momentum, earning their second penalty corner in the 23rd minute. This time, Harmanpreet could not be stopped. He unleashed a hard low flick to the left of the Japanese goalkeeper. It was 2-0 India.
With half-time upon them, India extended their advantage with a third goal through Mandeep Singh. But the man who played a pivotal role in the goal was Manpreet Singh. He intercepted the ball in midfield and maneuvered past three Japanese defenders to set up Mandeep for a straightforward finish.
The pattern persisted after the halftime interval, with India constantly on attack. Sumit produced what could be considered the goal of the tournament, executing a backhand stick flick from a tight angle to find the net. Again, the setup came from Manpreet, who did the spadework for the goal from the right flank.
Young talent Karthi Selvam extended India's lead to 5-0 in the 51st minute, capitalizing on an unselfish pass from Sukhjeet Singh, who skillfully received a perfectly placed aerial ball from Harmanpreet.
