Harmanpreet hat-trick as India beat Malaysia 4-2 to stay perfect in Asian Champions Trophy

Harmanpreet Singh scored a hat-trick against Malaysia on Sunday night as India won 4-2 in Jalandhar to stay unbeaten in the Asian Champions Trophy and top the table going into the last round of league games.

The captain struck twice from penalty corners and once from a stroke, and was named Player of the Match. He now leads the tournament with eight goals.

Both sides came into the game at the Olympian Surjit Singh Hockey Stadium with three wins from three. It was a rematch of the Asian Games final, which India won 5-1, and Malaysia made them work much harder this time.

How the game turned

Harmanpreet put India ahead in the third minute from a penalty corner, finishing a variation with Jugraj Singh. Malaysia then pushed hard in the second quarter. Goalkeeper Krishan Bahadur Pathak and first rusher Amit Rohidas kept out several corners, but Akhimullah Anuar levelled in the 25th minute and it was 1-1 at half-time.

Harmanpreet restored the lead with another corner in the 33rd minute. Five minutes later Malaysia’s Faiz Jali was shown a 10-minute yellow card for charging into Mandeep Singh, and India used the extra player. Hardik Singh found Sukhjeet Singh, whose backhand made it 3-1 in the 43rd minute.

With two minutes left the ball struck a Malaysian defender’s foot on the goal line, and Harmanpreet drove the penalty stroke high into the net to complete his treble. Shello Silverius pulled one back at the very end.

“We are here for gold... Our only target is to win at home,” Harmanpreet said after the match. “The energy from the crowd is infectious.”

India have 12 points from four matches, ahead of Malaysia on nine, Japan on seven and South Korea on six. All four are through to the semi-finals. India meet South Korea on Monday in their final league game.