Asian Champions Trophy 2026 Semifinal: Shilanand Lakra and Dilpreet Singh scored twice each as India beat South Korea 8-1 to reach final for 7th timeIndia to face Japan in final on Thursday.
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Asian Champions Trophy 2026: India hammer South Korea 8-1 to reach final (Photo: HockeyIndia)
Five-time champions India are once again in the final of the Men’s Asian Champions Trophy 2026India played brilliant hockey and thrashed South Korea 8-1 in the second semifinal on Wednesday to reach the final for a record-extending seventh time.
The match was totally one-sidedIndia scored 8 goals, while South Korea could score only oneWith this win, India will now face Japan in the final on Thursday.
Read more:
IND vs KOR Live Streaming Info, Asian Champions Trophy 2026 SF: When, Where, How to Watch
Shilanand Lakra and Dilpreet Singh were the top stars for IndiaBoth players scored two goals each.
Lakra scored in the 4th and 13th minutesDilpreet found the net in the 21st and 25th minutesCaptain Harmanpreet Singh (9th), Sukhjeet Singh (21st), Angad Bir Singh (36th) and Vivek Sagar Prasad (54th) also scored one goal each for India.
For South Korea, Sangjun Han (9th minute) scored the only goal.
This is not the first time India have beaten South Korea badly in this tournamentEarlier in the round-robin stage also, India had beaten South Korea 8-0India have now remained unbeaten in the whole tournament so farThey had topped the six-team league table after winning all five of their league matches.
India started the match on a strong noteIt was Lakra who gave India an early lead in the 4th minute with a brilliant field goalBut South Korea made a quick comebackSangjun Han scored a field goal in the 9th minute to make it 1-1.
However, India did not lose focusIn the very same minute, India got a penalty corner and captain Harmanpreet Singh made no mistakeHe scored from the penalty corner and gave India a 2-1 lead again.
Four minutes later, Lakra scored his second goal of the dayHe scored off a rebound from a penalty corner and made the score 3-1 for IndiaAt the end of the first quarter, India were leading 3-1.
India completely dominated the second quarterThey scored three field goals in just five minutes and took the match away from South Korea.
Sukhjeet Singh scored in the 21st minute from a field effortJust a few seconds later, Dilpreet Singh scored another field goal in the same minuteThen in the 25th minute, Dilpreet scored again and completed his braceWith these three quick goals, India took a huge 6-1 lead at half time.
India scored three goals each in the first two quartersThey earned four penalty corners in the match, while South Korea did not get a single penalty corner.
After half time, India did not slow downThey continued to attack and scored one goal each in the last two quarters.
Angad Bir Singh made it 7-1 in the 36th minute, just six minutes after the half time break, with a fine field goalThen in the 54th minute, Vivek Sagar Prasad scored the last goal of the match with another field goalIt was 8-1 and the match was completely over.
Asian Games gold medal winners India will now face Japan in the final on ThursdayJapan reached the final after beating Malaysia in the first semifinal earlier in the day.
Japan beat Malaysia 5-3 in the penalty shootout after both teams were locked 0-0 in the normal timeThe match was very close, but Japan held their nerves in the shootout.
WAS THERE EVER ANY DOUBT?!
The unbeaten hosts make a thunderous statement, storming past Korea 8-1 to book their place in the FINAL of the Hero Asian Champions Trophy Punjab 2026!
UP NEXT: JAPAN IN THE FINAL!
️ Thursday, November 5
⏰ 7:00 PM ISTOne more step to glory!
#HockeyIsBack #HACT2026 #SatSriAkalAsia #IndiaKaGame
— Hockey India (@TheHockeyIndia) November 4, 2026
India are now just one win away from winning their sixth Asian Champions Trophy titleThey are in great form and have not lost a single match in the tournamentFans are expecting another big win in the final.
