Gifu, October 1, 2026: Pakistan staged a remarkable second-half comeback but fell agonisingly short, losing 4-3 to arch-rivals India in a dramatic Asian Games men’s hockey semi-final at the Gifu Prefectural Green Stadium on Thursday.
The Green Shirts, who finished second in Pool B, recovered from a three-goal deficit to level the scores at 3-3, only for India’s Abhishek to score the decisive goal with less than a minute remaining.
The defeat ended Pakistan’s hopes of reaching the final, while India advanced to the gold-medal match. Pakistan will now play for the bronze medal on Saturday.
India captain Harmanpreet Singh put his side ahead in the fifth minute, converting a penalty corner before doubling the lead with another successful drag-flick in the 13th minute.
Sukhjeet Singh then extended India’s advantage to 3-0 in the 23rd minute with a field goal following a move involving Manpreet Singh and Shilanand Lakra.
Pakistan responded before half-time when captain Abu Bakar Mahmood converted a penalty corner in the 30th minute to reduce the deficit to 3-1.
Pakistan continued to press after the break and pulled another goal back through Abdul Hannan Shahid in the 45th minute, capitalising on a defensive lapse.
The momentum shifted further in Pakistan’s favour early in the final quarter when Rana Waheed Ashraf equalised in the 49th minute to make it 3-3.
However, with the match heading towards a possible penalty shootout, Abhishek found space on the right side of the circle and his effort took a deflection before beating Pakistan goalkeeper Muneeb-ur-Rehman Raza with less than a minute remaining.
The defeat extended India’s unbeaten run against Pakistan to 21 matches.
Pakistan had enjoyed an impressive group-stage campaign, scoring heavily against Thailand, Uzbekistan, China and Oman before finishing second in Pool B.
India, meanwhile, had topped Pool A unbeaten and advanced to the final with their hopes of defending their Asian Games title intact.
India will face the winner of the second semi-final between Malaysia and South Korea in Saturday’s gold-medal match.
Pakistan will contest the bronze-medal match on the same day, seeking to finish the Aichi-Nagoya Games with a podium place.
