IND vs PAK Hockey, Asian Games 2026: India Beat Pakistan 4-3 in Semi-Final, Reach Final With Abhishek’s Late Winner

Kakamigahara: India's men's hockey team beat Pakistan 4-3 in the Asian Games 2026 semi-final on Thursday to reach the final for the 14th time. The match was played at the Gifu Prefectural Green Stadium in Kakamigahara. In the gold-medal match, India will face the winner of the second semi-final between South Korea and Malaysia.

The semi-final was closely fought. India built a 3-0 lead in the first half, but Pakistan scored near the end of the half to make it 3-1. In the second half, Pakistan scored twice to level the match at 3-3. Both teams then looked for a winning goal, and Abhishek scored with 49 seconds left to make it 4-3 to India.

Captain Harmanpreet Singh scores twice

India captain Harmanpreet Singh scored two goals, in the 5th and 13th minutes. Sukhjeet Singh scored in the 23rd minute and Abhishek in the 60th. For Pakistan, Abu Mahmood scored in the 30th minute, Hannan Shahid in the 45th and Waheed Rana in the 49th.

First time since 1998 that both Indian hockey teams are in the final

This is the first time since 1998 that India's men's and women's hockey teams have both reached the final of the same Asian Games. With the win, defending champions India have also confirmed another medal at the 2026 Games. The men's team is now one win from a place at the Los Angeles 2028 Olympics, as the Asian Games gold medallist earns direct qualification.

India have four men's hockey golds at the Asian Games

Pakistan's men's team has won the most Asian Games hockey golds, eight (1958, 1962, 1970, 1974, 1978, 1982, 1990 and 2010). Its last gold came in 2010. India and South Korea have won four each. India's golds came in 1966, 1998, 2014 and 2023. India have also won silver in 1958, 1962, 1970, 1974, 1978, 1982, 1990, 1994 and 2002.