India vs China Highlights, Asian Champions Trophy 2024 Hockey Final: Jugraj Singh scores the unlikely winner as India clinch 5th title

Jugraj breaks the deadlock! ?#TeamIndia takes the lead all thanks to the awesome goal scored by the Indian player giving #MenInBlue an advantage during the closing stages ?

Watch ?? ? ?? LIVE on #SonyLIV ? pic.twitter.com/6d69KP7yiT

— Sony LIV (@SonyLIV) September 17, 2024

Father Sarabjeet Singh still remembers when a young Harmanpreet Singh returned with a harmonium from the annual village fair held in the memory of Baba Gurditta ji, son of Sikhism’s sixth guru Guru Hargobind Singh, instead of a usual hockey stick. The Indian captain, who had a flair for singing in his pre teens days, has been the highest scorer for the Indian team in Paris Olympics with 10 goals including a brace in the bronze-medal game against Spain that India won.

“Nikke hunde bas gaun da shaq si Harmanpreet nu (While he was a child, he only had passion for singing),” the father recalls. “Whichever village fair we went to, he would urge me to get him a harmonium and once I got him, he would spend his time with the musical instrument. It was only at his school when a coach enrolled him in hockey that Harmanpreet’s interest in the sport grew. With his drag-flicks, he has made the goal-keepers sing to his tune and to see him play his role in getting India back to back Olympics medals for India is a special feeling for all of us,” Singh Senior tells The Indian Express.

Lin Changliang is the player of the match: "I really proud, today we made history. I want to thanks for the amazing support." 

Crowd definitely deserves a word of praise. 

INDIA: Asian Champions Trophy winners for the fifth time in eight editions.

India are champions: FOR THE FIFTH TIME, India win the men's Asian Champions Trophy. But boy, was that tight! China, playing their first ever final in this tournament's history, put up a stunning rearguard show, even having some chances in the third quarter to frustrate the favourites. But a moment of inspired open play from two defenders - Harmanpreet Singh assisting Jugraj Singh - gives India the win. 

The ball is wide with less than 10 seconds to go. And that should be the match. 

Great review, this could be for China. Looks like Raj Kumar Pal's tackle was inside the final 23. This is a tricky one for video referees. Oh! This time the video referee agrees with India. 

30 seconds to go, and China ask for a review for a stick check.

Into the last two minutes, Raj Kumar does well to win the ball back. India go forward down the left, Manpreet does superbly to push the ball high up and win a foul. 76 seconds left and China have the ball back. 

Nervy moment for India as they lose the ball in defence and then a shot on goal is deflected and loops over Suraj in goal. 

India with a dangerous spell of possession with China playing without a GK. This is not where the hosts want to be. But a great late defensive interception and China now have the ball. 150 seconds to go. 

Wang Weihao, who had a stunning match between the posts, is off the pitch now. China are playing without their goalkeeper, 11 outfield players with five minutes to go. 

Harmanpreet with a great move down the left byline. One thought he would just look for a Chinese foot inside the circle but he found the perfect pass to Jugraj Singh who was waiting in the penalty stroke spot, creating an overload as Siddharth Pandey mentioned on air. 

An unlikely goal in an unexpected final! 

The forwards not doing their job, defenders step in. Harman assist, Jugraj goal. 

Mihir Vasavda

THE BREAKTHROUGH IS HERE: Remember this moment, Indian hockey fans. Harmanpreet Singh with the assist. Jugraj Singh with the field goal from. India's two primary drag flickers combine within the opposition circle from open play to finally break the Great Wall of China. 

Into the last 10 minutes of the match. India much more dominant in this quarter than they were in Q3. 

CHINA LUCKY: Manpreet with a stunning ball on the ground from midfield into the attacking circle, Abhishek does so well to trap it and twist, turn... the Chinese defender however pushes the ball behind the byline. And that HAD to be a PC India but not given. India don;t have a review. 

Alright then 15 minutes to go. India start with a high press but that leaves gaps in defence that China are trying to exploit. Must say, the pace that China possess in their square is really quite something. Quite a few speedy forwards and midfielders. 

Only 15 minutes to go and still no goals. China have the match in the territory they wanted. Goalless going into the last quarter. It just goes to show how much fitness matters in hockey these days. China don't have the skills and techniques to trouble India, but they are making life tough by working harder and making it difficult for Harman & Co. to score as well. India's forwards have had few direct shots at goal, which speaks a lot about how well China have defended.

Mihir Vasavda

Araijeet with a lovely run down the left but the final product is once again lacking from India. And then China once more come forward. This has been a quarter that has actually been quite even. Not the 84-16 kind we saw earlier. Vivek meanwhile is hurt while defending down the left. A painful hit to the knee it looked like. 

Mihir Vasavda chips in with a lovely tidbit:

Inner Mongolia (where the ACT is being played) has been one of China's hockey hubs. In 2008, after their women's team won a silver at the Beijing Olympics, this was one of the regions where some schools were designated as National Olympic Reserve Bases for Hockey Talents. It led to concentrated push to develop players and the result is seen today -- 6 players in this Chinese team are from Inner Mongolia. And they are doing a great job frustrating Olympic bronze medallists India now.

India hang on: That's not something we thought we'd say after the first half but China have upped the ante really well in this quarter, combined with India's frustrations. There is a deflection in that attempt on goal and Pathak who was shaping to go low, saves high to his left. Really sharp save. 

Now China review for a PC for retake and their review is good. India have another PC to defend. This quarter has been frustrating for India in many ways. 

India lose their referral. "WHAT" is the cry from Harmanpreet. That looked like a rolling ball clearly, a strange decision it must be said. 

Fulton is unhappy, Harmanpreet is not pleased. But India have a PC to defend. 

Another Penalty Corner for China. India are letting the frustration get to them. Harmanpreet dribbles forward, loses possession, China come pouring forward. 

But Pathak and Harman are adamant this is not a PC. "Five" is the symbol from the referee but Indians are arguing the ball is rolling. 

China will be rueing these missed chances. They won't get many, and from the few they've created they have not really tested India's defence. The PC injection here was a letdown for then.

Mihir Vasavda

PENALTY CORNER FOR CHINA: Well, well. Is this China's moment? China celebrate this, as they get a PC after a rare foray forward. The crowd will go berserk if this goes in... India deal with it though. The injection is not that great, and the shot on goal hits a Chinese forward on the body. 

A rare spell of Chinese possession in Indian half, but eventually Jugraj is fouled inside the circle. China retreat and India will plot their way forward once more. Harmanpreet with an aerial there, from right to left, we might see many more of those, Harman then goes for a long ball on the ground into the circle but Abhishek is not able to control. 

India with so much of the ball, but China resolute in defence. How long can they keep up, is the question.

India are out for 2nd half quickly. Do they keep doing the same things or change it up? A few more aerials perhaps? But China have defended in numbers all said and done. 

You don't usually this kind of lopsided possession stat in a hockey match between 11 players on both sides. India saw SO MUCH of the ball in the first half but China happy to sit back and try to counter. 

The scoreboard reads 0-0 but wow, what thrilling hockey that. Great credit to China's defence, especially GK Wang. But India came so close! None more than Harman, who hit the post straight on, look at the screenshot below for how close it was.

Into the last 100 seconds and another half chance for India. Jarmanpreet Singh with a good pass into a danger area but behind the forward. Down the other end, a HUGE chance for India but Jugraj Singh comes up with a sliding tackle that is deemed clean. Wow, that was some tackle. 

Penalty Stroke given to India as Manpreet Singh is tackled down the left byline. The umpire on field is confident but China review, but Wang is confident that he got the ball first. So he goes for the review, and the TV umpire says that it is not a stroke. 

THE POST SAVES: Vivek with a mistrap from the PC but quickly recovers to find Harmanpreet in space. The Indian captain with a clever attempt to place the ball low, but it hits the post! BAREST OF MARGINS. 

PC for India: India win the ball back in midfield, Manpreet and Nilakanta combine to feed Sukhjeet in the circle. The No 34 does brilliantly with his back to goal to win a PC. 

Another patient passing move but in the final third, communication breakdown between Nilakanta and Raheel. But India get the ball back right away. Manpreet and Nilkanta do superbly well to fashion a chance for Abhishek, who makes his own space with 3D skills. But great deep defence by China. This is solid, solid stuff from the hosts. 

There is that aerial we were talking about. From a free hit just outside the circle, Harmanpreet switches play from right to left to Sumit, but India couldn't still find the right final pass. 

Most of the attacks down the right from India, Jarmanpreet playing high up as an outlet. Abhishek and Raj Kumar and Manpreet trying to move up and down to offer angles. 

More patient passing from India but mostly sideways and not vertical, India doing the right thing by staying calm, not rushing things. But they'd need a dash of creativity from somewhere. 

China not pressing too high, a combination of half-court press and low-block. India not quite able to find the passing angles. I imagine a nice aerial or two will be needed to break the defensive lines. 

India with some patient possession to start the 2nd quarter. But as India lost the ball, Raheel tracks back to make a tackle and is shown a green card. China will have a chance to impose their attacking game for the next two minutes... if they get the ball. 

If not for the Chinese goalkeeper, India would have at least been ahead by 2 or 3. Top form, but pressure created from India's slick movement in the attacking third and quick passing could be too much for China's defence to absorb for a full 60 minutes. A goal imminent, one would feel.

Mihir Vasavda 

That was a brilliant 15 minutes of hockey despite mistakes from both sides that would frustrate the coaches. China's Wang with some huge saves (and he stays on in goal) while India bring on Suraj Karkera for Q2. 

Mistake from Jarmanpreet and it is a PC for China. And now Pathak with the first big Indian save of the night. What a first quarter this has been actually. 

Wang Weihao is having a storming Q1 between the posts for China. Massive saves to keep it 0-0. Sukhjeet is in space after a mistake in defence, and gets a shot away, but Wang is out of the line in no time and smothers it. 

OUCH! Shortly after Uttam gets hit smack on the boot, not the shin pad region, from close range and that will hurt badly. 

Wang Weihao is celebrating as the Chinese goalkeeper is alert once more to prevent Nilakanta from giving India the lead. Good pass at the edge of the circle from Harmanpreet, Nilakanta has a lot of space and takes the shot. But no goal yet. 

Lovely move, the one that led to PC. right from how Harman brought down the ball, Vivek Sagar's deflection and Raj Kumar's stick work.

Mihir Vasavda

First PC of the night... and Harmanpreet Singh takes it. Good rush but results in retake. The short two-step version of the drag flick. China too have a different look on the PC defence with a man on post to the goalkeeper's right instead of left as is the case usually. That is the gap that Harman is going for but it goes wide. 

Harmanpreet Singh with most nonchalant piece of aerial control and pass through the legs of the Chinese forward to start an Indian move... and it ends with a PC for India thanks to the brilliant recycling of possession by Raj Kumar Pal. 

A couple of minutes proper basketball-esque action. Great tackles and interceptions on both sides it must be said, as loose as the passing was that led to the turnovers. The atmosphere is absolutely electric. 

Nilakanta with a first-time shot on goal from the right channel as he latches on  to a nice through ball without breaking stride, but Wang Weihao is once again alert. 

Ohhh lovely work by Vivek Sagar Prasad down the left flank, and then Sukhjeet with a clever backflick attempt at goal but Chinese goalkeeper is alert. Wang Weihao is in goal for China to start, Krishan Pathak for India. 

PUSHBACK! And Craig Fulton will hope the first minute is not a sign of things to come... a very very loose pass from defence to the sidelines. And China too make a nervous mistake under no pressure. 

#Hockey #AsianChampionsTrophy #INDvCHN

Thank goodness India are in their (lovely) white+saffron kit! https://t.co/ICukes1IOl pic.twitter.com/GHusaq6M92

— Vinayakk (@vinayakkm) September 17, 2024

Mihir Vasavda is here.

Two Indian players, Harmanpreet Singh and Uttam Singh, have scored more goals so far (11) than China did in the entire group stage. Harmanpreet will also be eyeing to end another tournament as the highest goalscorer after the Olympics. With seven goals, he is two behind South Korea's Jihun Yang.

What a fine rendition by both the teams, and the crowd is buzzing. Reminder, China are playing the men's Asian Champions Trophy FINAL for the first time ever. 

India coach Craig Fulton: We got to play the game, not the occasion. It will be a house. We got to do the basic things well, and we got to do it over the four quarters. Just need to focus on us. Looking forward to a good game. 

India don't play China that often, since 2009 these are the only 9 meetings.