By Ishita Malakar
A sweltering performance at Rajgir in Bihar, saw India winning the men’s Asia Cup 2025. They beat Republic of Korea 4-1 in the final game which paved their path towards qualification for the FIH World Cup 2026 to be held in Netherlands and Belgium. This marked India’s fourth Asia Cup hockey crown, with their previous victory dating back to 2017 in Dhaka.
The goals came from Dilpreet Singh (28’, 45’), Sukhjeet Singh (1’), and Amit Rohidas (50’), while South Korea found the net once through Son Dain (51’).
The hosts opened in emphatic fashion, striking inside the very first 30 seconds. A sharp pass from skipper Harmanpreet Singh set up Sukhjeet Singh, who controlled it neatly before smashing a tomahawk strike past Korean goalkeeper Jaehan Kim.
The opening quarter was packed with excitement. With just six minutes left before the first horn, India was awarded a penalty stroke after Mandeep Singh’s shot on goal was unfairly blocked by a South Korean defender, leaving the umpires with no choice but to grant the opportunity. In the second quarter, South Korea managed to slow down India’s early momentum. Jugraj received a green card, but the young Rajinder Singh brought some much-needed energy to the midfield and earned India their first penalty corner in the 19th minute.
Unfortunately, that chance slipped away after a successful review by the Koreans. For a while, both teams struggled to create any significant chances. Then, just before halftime, Dilpreet Singh broke the stalemate in the 28th minute. A perfectly timed long ball from Harmanpreet Singh was skillfully controlled by Sanjay, who then set it up for Dilpreet. Taking a moment to steady himself, he slotted the ball neatly through the legs of the Korean goalkeeper, doubling India’s lead. As the second half kicked off, India found themselves down to ten men after Sanjay received a green card just before the break. Despite being a man down, they kept pushing forward. Just three minutes into the third quarter, it looked like India had won a penalty corner, but the umpire reversed the decision after noticing Mandeep’s shin had made contact before the ball hit a Korean defender’s foot.
The forwards kept probing the Korean defense, and their determination paid off in the 45th minute. Harmanpreet once again set up the play with a clever pass into the circle. Raj Kumar Pal took the initial shot, and Dilpreet, ever alert, tapped it in to extend the lead. In the final quarter, Dilpreet continued to be the driving force behind India’s attack, winning a penalty corner that Amit Rohidas converted with precision. South Korea, however, quickly responded, executing a well-planned variation from a penalty corner to pull one back.
The games did not work in their favour when eventually India won and finally became a four-times champion Asian Hockey champion.