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The Indian men's hockey team dethroned 2018 gold medallist Japan in the men's hockey event on Friday and qualified for the Paris Olympics 2024 by claiming their fourth gold medal in the Asian Games.
The Indian team continued to do wonders since the arrival of head coach Craig Fulton as they remained unbeaten throughout the event and defeated Japan by 5-1 in the 19th Asian Games. Both teams kicked off the final on equal preceedings as Japan and India looked to breach each other's defence and break the stalemate. Skipper Harmanpreet Singh looking to showcase his prowess in the penalty corner failed to get past the keeper in the 15th minute. The first quarter ended goalless. India drew the first blood in the second quarter with Manpreet scoring a goal with a reverse hit in the 25th minute of the game. Indian goalkeeper Sreejesh wasn't made to work hard as the first half ended with India enjoying a goal advantage. Harmanpreet scored from a drag flick which was filled with venom following a Penalty Corner to increase India's lead to 2-0. Amit Rohidas added another goal to take India a step closer towards the gold medal. The third quarter ended with India just 15 minutes away from earning a much deserved gold medal. The fourth and the final quarter saw a lot of action with Mandeep Singh limping off the field. In the 36th minute, Abhishek made it 4-0, as he flicked it over after receiving the ball from Hardik. Moments before the injury, Japan had a penalty corner and Sreejesh was forced to make a double save. But it wasn't enough as Tanaka sneaked in to make it 4-1. Harmanpreet added the icing on the cake and made it 5-1 with a flick shot. (ANI)
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