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Jugraj Singh’s Winning Goal (51st minute): Jugraj Singh scored the match-winning goal in the fourth quarter, assisted by Harmanpreet Singh, sealing India’s 1-0 victory over China.
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China's Strong Defence in the First Half: Despite India’s early pressure, China held firm, frustrating India’s attack, with Harmanpreet’s shot hitting the post in the 27th minute. The first half ended 0-0.
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India’s Dominant Third Quarter: India came out aggressively in the second half, creating several chances, but China’s defense remained resolute.
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First-Ever Final for China: China’s performance in the tournament marked their first-ever appearance in the Asian Champions Trophy final.
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Pakistan Secures Third Place: Pakistan defeated South Korea 5-2 to finish third after losing to China in the semi-finals.
🏆 India Clinches Fifth Asian Hockey Champions Trophy! 🇮🇳🔥
With a thrilling 1-0 win over China, India has secured their 5th Trophy!
Congratulations Team India for yet another historic win! 💪🎉#AsianChampionsTrophy #HockeyChampions #HockeyIndia #VictoryForIndia pic.twitter.com/UJ2dhwwLJn— VYGR | News App (@Vygrofficial) September 17, 2024
The Indian men's hockey team won their fifth Asian Hockey Champions Trophy, clinching a hard-fought 1-0 victory against China at the Moqi Hockey Training Base. India left all their matches in the tournament unbeaten, as they have won all seven matches of the tournament, and confirmed their dominance in Asian hockey.
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It was Jugraj Singh with the Goal
It was the defender Jugraj Singh who sealed the match for India with a crucial goal in the fourth quarter, assisted by the skipper Harmanpreet Singh. Jugraj's decisive strike in the 51st minute made India win the match by securing much-needed goals. Though India won ahead of the match by rank and performance, China gave them a tough time, and this was going to be an intense end-to-end match.
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China Pushes India to the Limit
India had already thrashed China 3-0 in the group stages and entered the final as huge favorites, but China proved quite resilient and forced India to fight for every chance. The first proper chance for India came in the ninth minute, but the Chinese defense held on quite well. China tested Indian goalkeeper Krishan Pathak several times in the game, especially in the first quarter.
For India, it was a tough nut to crack the China puzzle, and their best chance came in the second quarter with Harmanpreet's shot hitting the post in the 27th minute, and the game went into halftime without a goal being scored.
Nail Biting Finish
India shifted gear in the third quarter, surging up with many attack moves; however, China still stood strong at the back. The breakthrough eventually came in the 51st minute when Harmanpreet made a dash to the D and gave Jugraj a pass that was calmly slotted past the Chinese goalkeeper to win the game for India.
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Indian record-breaking title run
This India victory was the country's fifth Asian Champions Trophy title, besides titles won in 2011, 2016, and 2023, and a shared 2018 title with Pakistan. China's promotion to this final has set the team's best record in the history of the Asian Hockey Championship.
Pakistan Third Place Finish
Pakistan ended in the third position in the tournament and ensured that they would finish on an overall high note with a 5-2 thrashing of South Korea. Being thwarted in the semi-final by China did nothing to deter them from finishing strongly, and another rich chapter was added to their saga of hockey royalty.
For the Indians, this victory further assured them of being the most successful team of the Asian Champions Trophy, while China emerged as the team to reckon in the future, making it, most memorably for a first-ever appearance in the final.
With inputs from agencies
Image Source: Multiple agencies
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