Harmanpreet Singh scored twice as India made a fast start against Pakistan
Pakistan fought back through Abu Mahmood, Hannan Shahid and Waheed Rana to level the match
Abhishek Nain struck in the 60th minute to seal a 4-3 win for India
India’s men and women have reached the Asian Games hockey final for the first time since 1998
Harmanpreet Singh-led Team India defeated Pakistan in a nail-biting hockey semifinal on Thursday (October 1), keeping their sights set on the Asian Games gold medal. India edged past their arch-rivals 4-3, with Abhishek scoring the decisive goal in the 60th minute.
India’s women’s team has already sealed its place in the final after defeating South Korea in the semifinal on Wednesday (September 30).
It is the first time since 1998, both India's men's and women's hockey teams have reached the Asian Games final.
India took an early lead in the match as Harmanpreet Singh converted two penalty corners in the first quarter. Harmanpreet scored the first goal in the 5th minute, before doubling the lead in the 13th minute.
India kept attacking in the second quarter, resulting in a goal by Sukhjeet Singh in the 23rd minute. India led 3–0 by half-time.
However, Pakistan soon found their rhythm as they opened their account in the 30th minute through Abu Mahmood's strike. India still looked far ahead in the contest before Dilpreet Singh was shown a green card, reducing the team to 10 players for two minutes.
Hannan Shahid benefited as he scored a goal in the 45th minute to cut India's lead to 3–2, before Waheed Rana equalised the match.
The last quarter saw both teams attacking and creating opportunities, only for Abhishek Nain to score a last-second strike to send India to the final.
