Asian Champions Trophy hockey: India toy with Malaysia in 8-1 thrashing for third straight win; Raj Kumar Pal scores three goals | Hockey News

the time it ended, India were playing for fun.Harmanpreet Singh, usually the last man standing in Indian defence, was suddenly in the attacking third, gliding past Malaysian players with slick stick-work and having a go at the goal.
It was one of those rare matches in which the India captain did not have to worry about protecting a lead in the dying minutes. His team had an extra-large lead – 8-1. And Harmanpreet tried something he never does – scoring a field goal.
He couldn’t. But the way India were toying with Malaysia in their Asian Champions Trophy hockey encounter demonstrated the team’s superiority yet again.

What a treat for hockey fans! With 9 goals scored and with more than 20 incredible saves, this match had it all for lovers of fast-paced, Aggressive hockey🌟 Which moment had you on the edge of your seat? Share your favorite highlight in the comments below! 👇#ACT2024 #MASVSIND… pic.twitter.com/UP6VfFievF
— Hockey India (@TheHockeyIndia) September 11, 2024
Three matches, three wins, 16 goals scored and just two conceded. Four Indians (Raj Kumar Pal, Sukhjeet Singh, Uttam Singh and Abhishek) are among the top five scorers of the tournament where India have scored almost one-third of the goals.
And this is just scratching the surface to underline India’s dominance in the Asian Champions Trophy.
Getting deadlier with every passing match, increasing their goal tally each time, India demolished Malaysia, once a banana-skin opponent, a seven-goal margin in their third match of the competition to extend their lead at the top of the table.
The result – India’s biggest win over Malaysia, as per International Hockey Federation records – means Craig Fulton’s side is the only team with a 100 percent winning record so far. South Korea, placed second, and third-placed Pakan are the two other unbeaten teams, but they have drawn two of their three matches.
These two teams will be India’s next opponents – they play South Korea on Thursday followed Pakan on Saturday. Both will be wary of taking on the high-flying Olympic bronze medalls, who have been making short work of their Asian opponents.

pic.twitter.com/oDxMrsb1kT
— Hockey India (@TheHockeyIndia) September 11, 2024
It took India less than two minutes to open the scoring against Japan on Monday. On Wednesday, they needed an extra minute. Raj Kumar Pal – the only contentious pick in the Paris Olympics squad – continued to prove his naysayers wrong as he dribbled his way into the Malaysian ‘D’ and flicked the ball past the goalkeeper to open the floodgates for India.
Three minutes later, Araijeet Singh Hundal doubled India’s lead finding the corner of the Malaysian post. A minute later, penalty corner special Jugraj Singh added one with a powerful drag flick.
As was the case against Japan, the outcome was sealed inside the opening 10 minutes and all that was left to be seen was how many goals India would score. As it turned out, the three quick goals were only the beginning of Malaysia’s misery.

💪 ➕ 🌀 🟰 🇮🇳 😄#SonySportsNetwork #MALvsIND #HockeyIndia #ACT2024 | @HockeyIndia @iSunilTaneja pic.twitter.com/omaTDsD47p
— Sony Sports Network (@SonySportsNetwk) September 11, 2024
Harmanpreet, the highest goal-scorer of the Paris Olympics, buried the ball into the Malaysian goal with a vintage flick to make it 4-0 in the 22nd minute. Three minutes later, Araijeet and Uttam Singh combined to set-up Raj Kumar, who ensured India went into the half-time break with a 5-0 lead.
After Rajkumar had found the target for the third time, Malaysia managed to pull a goal back soon through Anuar Akhimullah but that proved to be mere consolation. If anything, that goal jolted India out of any complacency as they added two more to their tally. Araijeet had a simple tap-in from close range from a Nilakanta Sharma pass in the 39th minute and a minute later, Uttam scored his third of the tournament latching on to a rebound from a penalty corner.

There were no goals in the fourth quarter but then, India were just having fun, as Harmanpreet’s stroll into the attacking third showed.