U-18 Asia Cup 2026: India register dominant 4-1 win over Korea
Kakamigahara, June 2
The Indian U-18 Men's Hockey Team produced a dominant 4-1 victory against Korea in their third U-18 Asia Cup 2026 Pool A match held in Kakamigahara, Japan.
Captain Ketan Kushwaha (3', 36'), Varinder Singh (5') and Shahrukh Ali (54') scored for India while Korean captain Yun Jaehyeok (21') scored his team's lone goal in the match.
India started the first quarter strongly, securing an early two-goal lead. In the third minute, India earned the first penalty corner of the match and successfully converted it into the opening goal. Rahul Yadav played an incisive pass to captain Kushwaha (3'), and although his initial shot was saved by the Korean goalkeeper, the ball rebounded to him and he slotted it into the net.
India built on the momentum and secured the second goal in the fifth minute. Gazee Khan showed great vision to find Varinder (5') unmarked next to the goal, and he delivered a calm finish to extend India's lead.
Korea slowed the tempo for the remainder of the first quarter in an attempt to regroup.
The second quarter saw end-to-end action from both sides, but neither team created meaningful chances inside the circle. In the 21st minute, Korea received a penalty corner that captain Jaehyeok (21') successfully converted to reduce the deficit in the first half.
India started the third quarter on the front foot, converting yet another penalty corner in the 36th minute. Although the Korean backline stopped the initial shot at goal, they failed to clear the ball in time and Kushwaha (36') pounced on the opportunity to score his second goal of the evening.
Both teams secured penalty corners towards the end of the third quarter, but neither side converted.
In the 53rd minute, Korea came teasingly close to scoring when Kim Doyun deflected the ball toward the goal but Indian goalkeeper Ayush Rajak made a great save with his stick. The very next minute, India replied with a fourth goal courtesy of Shahrukh (54'), who struck a powerful shot to sound the board and seal his team's victory.
The win put India level on six points with Korea and Japan. The top two teams from each of the two pools will qualify for the semi-finals.
India will next face Chinese Taipei on June 3 at 1:30 PM IST in their final Pool A match.
— ANI
Reader Comments
So good to see our young guns doing well internationally. The early goals in the first quarter really set the tone. Only worry is that we let Korea back into the game just before half time - need to work on maintaining concentration throughout. But overall, very promising! 🙌
Captain's knock by Kushwaha! Two goals including that crucial one in the third quarter to regain momentum. Shahrukh's goal was a rocket too. Reminds me of the senior team's style - fast, aggressive and clinical. Next match against Chinese Taipei should be a formality for a semi-final spot. 🔥
While the win is great, I feel we still need to improve our penalty corner conversion rate. We had multiple PCs but only scored from a couple of them. Against stronger teams like Japan or in the knockouts, those missed chances could cost us. Good victory nonetheless. All the best for the next match!
What a performance! That first quarter was electric - two goals in five minutes! Varinder Singh's finish was so composed. And Ayush Rajak's save in the 53rd minute kept us in control. The future of Indian hockey looks bright with these youngsters. 🇮🇳💪
Tactically, I think we were too passive in the second quarter after going 2-0 up. Korea's goal came from a PC because we sat back. But credit to the team for regrouping in the third quarter and finishing strong. This U-18 batch has real potential - let's hope they get proper exposure and coaching at the senior level. 🏑
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