India Beat China 1-0 to win Hockey Asian Championship Finals

New Delhi: India claimed their record-extending fifth Asian Champions Trophy title with a hard-won 1-0 victory over hosts China on Tuesday. In a thrilling final, India faced a resilient Chinese side that left no stone unturned to make a statement on home turf. In the final quarter, Jugraj Singh, who came on as a substitute scored a crucial field goal to break the deadlock and give India the win.

Despite all the pressure, it was however a rare field goal by Jugraj which turned out to be the clincher in the game, especially with other Indian stars failing to find an escape past Chinese goalkeeper Wang Weihao. Again, China’s defense, thanks to Wang Weihao, did not let India penetrate much into their zone, making several critical saves along the way.

China ranked 23rd, battled with daredevil spirit, and India’s still the reigning champions Indian Team, ranked Number 1. The host’s players did much to please their defense as they succeeded in keeping India blank for the first three quarters. Though China dominated the possession game by suffocating their opponents at large, they could not penetrate India’s strong defensive line.