Kakamigahara, Japan, September 20: Dilpreet Singh scored four goals as India beat Indonesia 13-1 in their Asian Games men’s hockey opener. Eight Indian players scored in the Pool A match at the Kawasaki Juko Stadium.
India led 7-0 at half-time, and Indonesia’s only goal came from a penalty corner in the third quarter. The defending champions are chasing gold in Japan, which would also bring a direct place at the Los Angeles 2028 Olympic Games.
Seven goals before the break
Shilanand Lakra put India ahead in the sixth minute with a rebound finish, and Abhishek made it 2-0 in the 12th, also from a rebound.
The second quarter was one-way traffic. Dilpreet scored in the 18th and 19th minutes, and Rajinder Singh and Mandeep Singh followed, Mandeep in the 21st. Indonesia goalkeeper Alam Fajar then saved a penalty stroke from Harmanpreet Singh, but the India captain scored from a penalty corner in the 28th minute to make it 7-0.
Indonesia pull one back, India keep scoring
Aulia Al Ardh scored Indonesia’s goal from a penalty corner in the 33rd minute. India answered quickly. Lakra got his second in the 35th, Dilpreet completed his hat-trick in the 37th and Sukhjeet Singh scored in the 38th, which made it 10-1 at the end of the third quarter.
Jugraj Singh added a penalty-corner goal in the 47th minute and Sukhjeet scored again in the 48th. Dilpreet got his fourth in the 49th to close the scoring. Quarter by quarter, the score read 2-0, 7-0, 10-1 and 13-1.
Fulton wants improvement
Head coach Craig Fulton was pleased with the result but pointed to the goal India conceded and the chances they missed.
“Yeah, happy with the first game. I think the boys did well for the four quarters. Not an easy game. At the same time, 13-1, we’ll take it for sure,” Fulton said.
“Good start, and some areas to improve in. Obviously conceding a goal and we left a few goals out there, but at the same time, good win.”
Dilpreet said the team had played well. “We are focused on our basics and game structures,” he said, adding that the aim was gold and a direct ticket to the 2028 Olympics.
Sri Lanka next
India play Sri Lanka in their second Pool A match on 22 September at 3:30 pm IST. South Korea, Japan and Bangladesh follow on 24, 26 and 28 September. The semi-finals are on 30 September and the men’s final is on 3 October.
