Jalandhar, 1 November: Captain Harmanpreet Singh scored a hat-trick as India beat Malaysia 4-2 at the Olympian Surjit Singh Hockey Stadium on Sunday for their fourth straight win at the Men’s Asian Champions Trophy 2026.
Harmanpreet scored twice from penalty corners and once from a penalty stroke, and Sukhjeet Singh added a field goal. Akhimullah Anuar and Shello Silverius scored for Malaysia. Harmanpreet was named player of the match and now leads the tournament’s scoring chart with eight goals.
Early lead, then a Malaysian reply
India won a penalty corner in the opening minutes and Harmanpreet converted it in the third minute. Amandeep was shown a green card in the 13th minute, leaving India a player short for two minutes.
Malaysia pushed hard in the second quarter and won several penalty corners. Rajinder, Amit Rohidas and goalkeeper Krishan Bahadur Pathak kept them out, while at the other end Harmanpreet hit the crossbar from a re-awarded penalty corner in the 21st minute. Anuar equalised from a penalty corner in the 25th minute, and Mandeep Singh missed a close-range chance before the teams went in level at 1-1.
Harmanpreet and Sukhjeet pull India clear
Harmanpreet restored the lead with a low drag-flick in the 33rd minute. Five minutes later Malaysia’s Faiz Jali was shown a 10-minute yellow card for charging into Mandeep from behind, and India made the extra player count. In the 43rd minute Sukhjeet finished on the backhand from Hardik Singh’s pass to make it 3-1.
Harmanpreet was himself shown a yellow card in the 48th minute, but Malaysia could not take advantage. In the 58th minute the ball struck Marhan’s foot on the goal line, India were awarded a penalty stroke and Harmanpreet scored to complete his hat-trick. Malaysia’s Amirul Azahar was also carded. Silverius pulled a goal back in the final minute.
“We are here for gold”
Harmanpreet said the team had only one aim at the tournament. “We are here for gold… Our only target is to win at home… All the youngsters coming in are doing well,” he said.
He also thanked the home crowd. “The energy from the crowd is infectious. Keep supporting us. Thank you, everyone.”
Standings and next match
India have 12 points from four matches and a goal difference of +21. Malaysia are second on nine points, followed by Japan on seven and South Korea on six. All four have qualified for the semi-finals, while China and Bangladesh will play for fifth place.
India, who beat China 5-2 and Japan 4-1 earlier in the week, play South Korea in their last league match on Monday, 2 November, at 7pm IST. A draw will be enough for them to finish top of the table. The semi-finals will be played in Mohali on 4 November.
