Jakarta , September 4, 2025— A determined India produced a commanding performance on Thursday, overturning an early deficit to defeat Malaysia 4-1 in their second Super 4s match of the Men’s Asia Cup hockey tournament.
Malaysia stunned India in just the second minute when Shafiq Hassan scored, exposing the Indian defence. But India regrouped quickly and dominated thereafter. Manpreet Singh (17th), Sukhjeet Singh (19th), Shilanand Lakra (24th), and Vivek Sagar Prasad (38th) struck to secure a convincing victory for the hosts.
The win lifted India to the top of the Super 4s standings with four points from two games, edging ahead of China and Malaysia, who have three each, while defending champions Korea remain last with a single point. India, who drew 2-2 with Korea in their opener, now need just a draw against China on Saturday to book their place in Sunday’s final.
Despite Malaysia missing playmaker Fitri Saari and Abu Kamal Azrai due to suspension, they shocked India early. Hassan dribbled past Sanjay and Jugraj Singh before slotting home with a reverse stick. The Indians, however, held firm to prevent further damage in the first quarter.
India’s breakthrough came in the second quarter when Manpreet converted from a rebound after five consecutive penalty corners. Two minutes later, Sukhjeet doubled the lead with a close-range finish from Shilanand’s clever pass. Shilanand himself scored soon after, deflecting in Dilpreet Singh’s cross for a 3-1 cushion at halftime.
Malaysia’s only penalty corner was brilliantly saved by goalkeeper Krishan Bahadur in the 32nd minute. India then made it 4-1 as Vivek Sagar Prasad tapped in following a fine build-up by Jugraj and Sumit. Though India continued to create opportunities in the final quarter, they could not add further goals.
Earlier, China stunned defending champions Korea 3-0, with Benhai Cheng scoring twice and Jiesheng Gao adding one from a penalty corner. It was China’s first Super 4 win, after losing 0-2 to Malaysia. Meanwhile, Bangladesh outclassed Kazakhstan 5-1 to qualify for the 5th-6th place playoff, powered by doubles from Ashraful Islam and Roman Sarkar.
