Rajgir, Sep 7 (IANS) Hockey India has announced Rs 3 lakh each to players after the men’s team won the Asia Cup following a convincing 4-1 win over South Korea in an exciting final here at the Rajgir Sports Complex on Sunday, with the stadium packed to the brim as locals turned up in large numbers to cheer the home team.

The support staff members of the Indian men’s team will also receive Rs 1.5 lakh each. With this win, India have ended the eight-year-long wait to regain supremacy in the continent. India have also qualified for the FIH Men’s Hockey World Cup 2026 in Netherlands and Belgium.

The last time they won the Asia Cup was in 2017 in Dhaka. For India, Dilpreet Singh (28′,45′), Sukhjeet Singh (1′) and Amit Rohidas (50′) scored goals in the summit clash.

India got off to a rocking start with Sukhjeet Singh scoring for the hosts within 30 seconds of the start of the game. It was a fine assist from captain Harmanpreet Singh, which was picked up brilliantly by the forward and powerfully struck a tomahawk past the Korean goalie Jaehan Kim. There was plenty of action in the opening quarter, with India being awarded a penalty stroke with about six minutes left for the first hooter. This was an opportunity that was created by Mandeep Singh when he was taking a shot on goal, when a deliberate stick-check by a Korean defender saw them being awarded the stroke. But the opportunity went begging with Jugraj Singh’s flick being padded away by Jaehan.

The second quarter saw Korea slow down India. Jugraj was also seen being given a green card but young midfielder Rajinder Singh helped India win their first PC in the 19th minute. But a good review by Korea meant that India was denied this chance. After a brief lull in the second quarter with both teams unable to find a substantial attack, Dilpreet Singh broke the gridlock when he struck in the 28th minute. It was a long ball by Harmanpreet Singh, received well by Sanjay, who lofted it to Dilpreet. He took a brief moment to position himself well enough to find the gaps in between the goalie’s legs and earned India that much-needed 2-0 lead.

Changing sides after half-time, India got the ball rolling in the third quarter with just 10 men on the field as Sanjay had been awarded a green card just seconds before the second hooter. Only three minutes into the third quarter, India won a PC after a Korean foot in the circle. But the decision to award India a PC was overturned by the on-field umpire after Mandeep’s shin hit the ball first before finding the Korean foot. There were a few chances created in the following minutes as India’s forward line took turns to make forays into the Korean circle but a breakthrough came only in the 45th minute, and again, it was Dilpreet who struck a fine goal. It was clever stickwork from Dilpreet that called for grand celebrations around the Rajgir Sports Complex.

It was Harmanpreet Singh, who was the playmaker yet again with a clever pass into the centre of the goal, Raj Kumar Pal getting a shot on, but eventually it was Dilpreet who turned it in. Dilpreet remained the cynosure of India’s attack in the final as he created a PC which was splendidly converted by Amit Rohidas. But at the start of the fourth quarter, Korea converted a goal after a good variation in PC. Yang Jihun fakes the flick, played it back to the injector Lee Jungjun, who eventually passed it to Son Dain to score. The 4-1 scoreline hardly affected India’s determination to lift the title. They held on to the lead in the dying minutes to end the eight-year-long wait.

–IANS

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