The Indian men’s hockey team’s impressive Asian Games 2026 campaign continued. They got their best-ever result against South Korea in Asian Games history, with an easy 8-2 victory.
It was their third consecutive win in Pool A for the defending champions, and it also moved them closer to a semifinal spot.
Dilpreet was the star again, scoring two goals and taking his tournament tally to nine. Abhishek got a brace, and skipper Harmanpreet Singh, Rajinder Singh, Sukhjeet Singh and Shilanand Lakra bagged a goal each.
Both teams began on a strong note. India took advantage early in the fourth minute when Lakra wrapped up a well-worked move after an aerial into the Korean circle was set up for him. The Korean goalkeeper was then called twice after that to make saves. Sukhjeet Singh doubled the lead in the 10th minute with a good finish.
Then a minute later, Harmanpreet made it 3-0 from a penalty corner. After that, Abhishek missed a chance, but India didn’t have to wait long. IN the 15th minute, Abhishek scored to make it 4-0. India found their fifth in the 26th minute after Mandeep’s reverse push was met by Dilpreet, who converted it.
In the third quarter, Hardik’s pass found Dilpreet, who got his second goal of the match.
Abhishek made it 7-0 in the 38th minute. JaeHo Kim pulled one back in the 42nd minute to make it 7-1. The final quarter saw Yong Bok Kim make it 7-2. After a string of penalty corners in the closing stages, India got their eighth as Rajinder’s flick flew into the backboard to wrap up an 8-2 victory.
It was also a historic match for India’s Vivek Sagar Prasad, who finished with 200 senior international caps. He was felicitated ahead of the game. India faces host Japan in their next game on September 26.