Page 2 - Asian Men's Hockey Champions Trophy

I'll see how things happen after Asiad: Sreejesh opens up on his retirement

Veteran Indian hockey goalkeeper PR Sreejesh is taking one tournament at a time as far as his future is concerned and says he will "see how things happen" after the Asian Games in China in September-October. The 35-year-old goalkeeping legend is nearing 300 international matches after making his India debut in 2006. He is currently sharing the goalkeeping duties for India with Krishan Bahadur Pathak in the ongoing Asian Champions Trophy (ACT) here. "At this age, better don't ask me about the next two years. It's all about the next one. I am at the Asian Games, and after that, I'll see how things happen. I will take it one tournament at a time," Sreejesh told PTI when asked about the possibility of him featuring in another ACT. The ACT is a biennial tournament, but the venue and dates of the next edition is yet to be announced. "As (Novac) Djokovic said, '35 is the new 25'. So, I'm definitely there," Sreejesh said after India thrashed arch-rivals Pakistan 4-0 on Wednesday. Sreejesh

ACT 2023: India coach hails team's 'structured', 'consistent' game vs PAK

India head coach Craig Fulton hailed his side's "structured" and "consistent" game in the 4-0 thrashing of arch-rivals Pakistan in their Asian Champions Trophy hockey match here and he's looking for his players to continue in the same vein in the semifinal against Japan. India's comprehensive 4-0 win in their last round-robin league match on Wednesday knocked Pakistan out of the tournament. Unbeaten India topped the league table with four wins and a draw and play Japan in the semifinals on Friday. "We did play a good-structured game. We did miss a few chances in the fourth quarter, but we did well overall," Fulton said during the post-match press conference. "We had some good consistency in each quarter, which we did the same during the Japan game (on August 4 which ended in 1-1 draw)." Japan sneaked into the semifinals ahead of Pakistan on better goal difference, though the two sides collected five points each. Japan had minus two goal difference as against minus five of Pakistan.

IND vs PAK hockey highlights: India thrash Pakistan 4-0, knock out of ACT

Star Sports Select 2 HD/SD and Star Sports First will live broadcast IND vs PAK hockey match in India

Hockey ACT 2023: Abu Kamal Azrai's goal helps Malaysia beat South Korea 1-0

Malaysia came up with a spirited performance to edge past defending champions South Korea 1-0 during their round-robin match of the 2023 Asian Champions Trophy Hockey here on Wednesday. Abu Kamal Azrai scored the winner in a contest that was academic in nature with both countries having already sealed semi-final berth. The first quarter was a slow start from both sides, while Malaysia won the tie's opening penalty corner, which was saved by the Korean goalkeeper. After a chance each, there was nothing to separate the two teams at the end of the first quarter in which Malaysian skipper Marhan Jalil and Amirul Azahar were warned with green-cards. In the 22nd minute, an unmarked Abu Kamal Azrai slapped the ball home to give the Malaysians the lead. Malaysia kept its slender lead going into half-time. After the change of ends, Malaysia continued to be the better side in terms of number of raids into the opposition's defensive third. However, the Korean defence managed to hold out ti

Hockey ACT: India skipper Harmanpreet wants more matches against Pakistan

More matches between arch-rivals India and Pakistan will only benefit both sides as well as continent's hockey, home team captain Harmanpreet Singh said on Tuesday ahead of their high-voltage clash in the Asian Champions Trophy here. Unbeaten India are already through to the semifinals after three wins and one draw while Pakistan's last-four hopes depend on the result of this vital clash against India on Wednesday. A win for Pakistan will guarantee them a spot in the semifinals, but a defeat would leave their fate on the result of the match between China and Japan, also on Wednesday. "Matches are important for any team. If we play more matches together, it will surely help us and Asian hockey as a whole. But, it all depends on the situation, and I feel we should play a lot more against each other," Harmanpreet said during the press conference ahead of the match. Asked why the rivalry between the two sides has become less intense as compared to earlier times, Harmanpreet said, "It (

Hockey ACT 2023: Harmapreet don't want to concede silly PCs vs Pakistan

Indian men's hockey captain Harmanpreet Singh is happy with his team's improved strike-rate of short corners but wants a curb on conceding silly penalty corners in its important match against arch-rivals Pakistan in the Asian Champions Trophy on Wednesday. "It would definitely be a high-intensity tie. We need to be smart and focus on our actual gameplan and our responsibilities. We will stick to our original structure and try to finish better," he told PTI after his team's 3-2 victory over South Korea. "It's going to be a full-house. It was a near full-house yesterday (Sunday), which is a good sign for Indian hockey." While he is happy that his team is finding ways to score both through penalty corners as well as field strikes, there is still some work on the defensive front --- mainly in terms of conceding penalty corners at crucial junctures. "We have been scoring goals both through field and PCs. Also, ball possession was quite good, especially during the closing stages of the .

Hockey ACT 2023: We are aware of India's weak areas - Pakistan head coach

Pakistan are aware of India's weak areas and they have to play smart hockey against the home side, head coach Muhammad Saqlain said on Monday ahead of a potentially high-voltage clash between the arch-rivals in the Asian Champions Trophy here. India and Pakistan face each other in their last round-robin league match on Wednesday. "Harmanpreet Singh and other centre forwards are some of the best players in the world. We are aware of their weakness as well, but we have to be smart against them," Saqlain told PTI on Monday. Pakistan managed a narrow 2-1 win over China on Monday to stay in contention for a semifinal berth. Saqlain said he's confident of his side making it to the final four. "Finally, we have got the three crucial points. We created quite some chances, especially towards the initial stages of the meeting. If we keep going like this, we can surely make it to the semifinals with this young team," he said of the win against China. Asked about handling pressure against th

Asian Hockey Champions Trophy: India seal SF berth after 3-2 win over Korea

Their semifinals spot guaranteed, India prevailed over defending champions South Korea 3-2 in their fourth round-robin fixture of the Asian Champions Trophy here on Monday, maintaining their unbeaten run in the continental hockey tournament. Even before the action got underway at the Mayor Radhakrishnan Hockey Stadium, India had sealed their place in the semi-finals, following Japan's loss to Malaysia earlier in the day. Both teams began the match on a fast-paced note, playing mainly possession-based hockey. In the sixth minute, the deadlock was broken by the hosts, as Nilakanta Sharma tapped the ball in after Sukhjeet Singh dribbled the ball past a couple of defenders. Unfazed by the goal, Korea came up with a couple of chances of their own but the Indian defence was up to the task. However, the Koreans did not take much time to equalise as Sunghyun Kim hammered it in after Manjae Jung's low pass, in the 12th minute. In the second quarter, it was all about India as they came up

Hockey ACT: Resilient Malaysia keep-off Japan 3-1 to book semifinal spot

Malaysia fought off a late surge from Japan to secure a 3-1 win and advance to the semifinal of the Asian Champions Trophy hockey tournament here on Monday. Najmi Jazlan (13th minute, penalty corner), Ashran Hamsani (37th) and Shello Silverius (59th) struck for Malaysia. After a flurry of missed chances, Japan finally managed to strike through Niwa Takuma (59th). The win took Malaysia to nine points after three wins and one loss and sealed their last-four berth after Pakistan defeated China 2-1 in another match. The top four teams out of six after the round-robin league qualify for the semifinals. Coming off from a 0-5 thrashing at the hands of India, Malaysia took the lead in the first quarter through when Jazlan's drag-flick. Jazlan's shot struck the shin of the first rusher before hitting the net and the goal was awarded after a referral. Japan, who had held Pakistan to a 3-3 draw, came close to scoring the equaliser on a few occasions but failed to give the finishing touches

Hockey ACT: Pakistan remain in semifinal race with 2-1 win over China

Goals from Muhammad Khan and Afraz helped Pakistan eke out a 2-1 victory over China to stay in the race for the semifinals in the Asian Champions Trophy hockey tournament here on Monday. However, the defeat meant that China were knocked out of contention for the last-four stage. The opening quarter happened to be a quiet one in terms of goal-scoring activities. Pakistan earned a couple of penalty corners but failed to convert them. It was followed by a field goal chance from both sides, but to no avail, as it was goalless at the end of the first quarter. Five minutes into the second quarter, Pakistan earned a penalty corner and Muhammad Khan successfully converted it to give his side the lead. While China challenged the goal through video referral for dangerous height, the TV umpire ruled it in favour of Pakistan. After a couple of more chances for Pakistan, including a penalty corner, it led 1-0 at the half-time break. Two minutes following the restart, China showed some urgenc

Hockey ACT: Pakistan captain Umar Bhutta rues team's finishing problem

Skipper Umar Bhutta on Sunday admitted that Pakistan need to analyse why they are unable to cross the line despite coming close to winning. Pakistan's latest contest was against Japan in the ongoing Asian Champions Trophy where they settled for a 3-3 draw despite gaining the lead a couple of times. "Firstly, we need to analyse why we are not able to finish the game despite coming so close to winning. It's understandable against bigger sides like Germany, who scored one goal, and it's a win-win situation for them unless the opponent scores," he told PTI after the draw. "Secondly, we struggled initially in the short corners. However, we are able to score in short corners as well as field goals now. Had these come beforehand, we would have been in a better position right now (in the competition)." "But overall, if I analyse my team and my players, I am impressed by their performance," he added. On Pakistan's upcoming encounter against China on Monday, a side that has not been at its

Asian Champions Trophy Hockey 2023: IND back on top, defeats MAL by 5-0

India defeated Malaysia by 5-0 last night and reclaimed its top spot in the Asian Champions Trophy Hockey 2023 points table. India is to face South Korea in its fourth match on 7th August

Hockey ACT: India's penatly corner issue persists, forced to draw vs Japan

Courtesy of this draw, India would now have to be content with the second position on the points table in the Men's Hockey Asian Champions Trophy 2023 being held in Chennai

Hockey ACT: Pakistan coach elated after team's 1-1 draw vs defending champs

Pakistan head coach Muhammad Saqlain on Friday said his young side has surprised everyone by holding defending champions South Korea to 1-1 draw in their second match of the Asian Champions Trophy here. However, he rued that playing back-to-back matches was a bit tedious task for his unit. Pakistan is coming off a 1-3 defeat against Malaysia on Thursday and remains winless in the opening two meetings, managing just a point. "We have surprised everyone today. If you look at the side we have, most of the players do not have the experience of playing more than two or three international games. So, international exposure is very important here," he said after the draw. "It was a very beautiful tie. Korea is the fittest side in the world. We played back-to-back matches, which is quite tough, considering we have a very young team." "We played according to our stature and we again missed many chances. Our luck is not favouring us either. I hope to get some time with this team, maybe one

India vs Japan Asian Champions Trophy Hockey 2023, check match details

India faces Japan in its second Asian Champions Trophy Hockey match today at 8.30 pm IST. The match will be played at the Mayor Radhakrishnan Stadium in Chennai, Tamil Nadu

Hockey: ACT 2023 today's matches - IND vs JAP, PAK vs KOR, CHN vs MAL

The live telecast of the India vs Japan hockey match will be available on Star Sports Select 2 HD and Star Sports First.

Hockey: Asian Champions Trophy schedule, IND vs PAK timing, live telecast

In the Asian Champions Trophy, the India vs Pakistan match will take place on August 9 at 8:30 PM IST.

Asian Hockey Champions Trophy: India off to winning start, thrash China 7-2

Skipper Harmanpreet Singh and Varun Kumar scored two goals each as India thrashed China 7-2 to begin their Asian Champions Trophy hockey campaign on a winning note at the Mayor Radhakrishnan Hockey Stadium here on Thursday. Harmanpreet (5th, 8th minutes) and Varun (19th, 30th) converted two penalty corners each for India, while Sukhjeet Singh (15th), Akashdeep Singh (16th) and Mandeep Singh (40th) were the other goal scorers. China's two goals came from the sticks of Wenhui E (18th) and Jiesheng Gao (25th). The Men in Blue were off to a resounding start in the opening quarter, as it took them just five minutes into the contest to earn a penalty corner, and skipper Harmanpreet made no mistake in successfully converting it. It did not too long for India to double the lead. Three minutes later, it was another penalty corner and it yielded the same result through the same man, Harmanpreet. Down by a couple of goals early into the tie, the Chinese players struggled to penetrate the In

ACT Hockey 2023 MAL vs PAK: Ashari's twin strike hand Malaysia 3-1 win

Firhan Ashari struck twice as Malaysia defeated Pakistan 3-1 in the second game of the 2023 Asian Champions Trophy Hockey at the Mayor Radhakrishnan Hockey Stadium here on Thursday. For Malaysia, Ashari scored in the 28th and 29th minutes, while Shello Silverius found the net in the 44th minute. Pakistan's lone goal was scored by Abdul Rehman in the 55th minute. The opening quarter happened to be an engaging one, as both the sides came up with a decent number of scoring chances, including a penalty corner each, but failed to convert. In the following quarter, the match once again witnessed some decent scoring chances from both the teams, including an unsuccessful penalty corner conversion from Malaysia. However, Malaysia struck on consecutive occasions just two minutes before half-time. Ashari scored a quick brace in an acrobatic fashion through field strikes to put his side in the driver's seat as the teams headed into the half-way break. After the restart, Pakistan continued t

Asian Champions Trophy: Korea start title defence with 2-1 win over Japan

Defending champions South Korea started their Asian Champions Trophy title defence on a winning note, beating Japan 2-1 in a close contest at the Mayor Radhakrishnan Hockey Stadium here on Thursday. It all began in the sixth minute when Ryoma Oooka netted the opening goal of the tournament before Cheoleon Park equalised in the 26th, as both the teams went into half-time break locked at 1-1. Just five minutes into the third quarter, JungHoo Kim found the back of the net to put the Japanese side in front. It was followed by some relentless attacks from the Koreans. However, the Japanese defence held on firmly to grab the three points in the end. Raiki Fujishima of Japan was yellow-carded in the 14th, whereas Manjae Jung of Korea saw green in the seventh.