India defeat Pakistan 4-0 to enter Asia Cup hockey final

Dhaka [Bangladesh] Oct 21 (ANI): India on Saturday defeated Pakistan 4-0 in their final Super 4 game of Asia Cup hockey in here on Saturday.

With this win, India has entered the final of the Hero Asia Cup 2017 as the toppers of Super 4 with seven points. India will now play either defending champions South Korea or Malaysia.

The first half of the match was goalless, but in the second half India scored four goals- one each by Satbir Singh (39th minute), Harmanpreet Singh (51st minute), Lalit Upadhyay (52nd minute) and Gurjant Singh (57th minute).

Before the match, Indian Men's Hockey team Chief Coach Sjoerd Marijne said that the team is focused on improving their performance from their previous outing where they beat Pakistan 3-1 in the Pool stage.

"We were happy with the win against Pakistan in our previous match but we know we can perform better. On Saturday, we will go into the match focusing on our structure and stick to the game plan we have against Pakistan," expressed the 43-year-old Dutchman.

India have sailed through the tournament showcasing impressive form. They notched up three successive wins in the Pool stage but the forward line was put to test against a highly defensive Korean side in their first Super 4s match.

Meanwhile, Pakistan Coach Farhat Khan expressed that his team, especially their forward line, needed to go all-out against India if they want to be in the Final.

"We not just need to win against India but we need to win with a big margin (at least 3 goals) so we make the Final by the virtue of goal difference. But, it is going to be easier said than done because I am not happy with how our forwards have performed in this tournament. We have missed many opportunities in the circle and against India we cannot misfire," asserted the coach.

India has maintained its hegemony over Pakistan in the hockey this year. It has defeated Pakistan twice in the Hockey World League Semi-Finals in London and once in pool stages here. (ANI)