India vs Japan, Asian Games Highlights: Abhishek scores twice as IND beat JPN 4-2

India vs Japan Asian Games Live Score 60 mins: The ball breaks to Kato who breaks free and has only Sreejesh to beat. He does so brilliantly with a tomahawk and all of a sudden, India’s lead has been cut down to 2! India 4-2 Japan.

India vs Japan Asian Games Live Score: PC Variation does the job for Japan and India won’t have a clean sheet today. The ball touches Varun’s legs after a Japanese counter and they get a PC. It leads to yet another PC and Genki scores off a deflection from Yamada.

India vs Japan Asian Games Live Score: 54 mins: PC taken, the drag flick deflects off Hardik and hits Vivek Sagar Prasad on the chest. He doesn’t seem to as badly hurt as Tanaka, thankfully, and is good to go in a few seconds.

India vs Japan Asian Games Live Score: 54 mins: That is a sickening sight. Japan get a PC, the drag flick is saved by Sreejesh and the ball rebounds off him and lasers into the face of Kaito Tanaka. The Indian players around him show immediate concern and there seems to blood. Physios have now rushed to the place and he is receiving treatment. That is the kind of sight that can make your stomach churn, hope Tanaka is ok after this. He eventually gets stretchered off and Japan progress with their PC.

India vs Japan Asian Games Live Score: 51 mins: Sukhjeet with the ball inside the D on the right of the goal, he turns around under a lot of pressure and gets the shot away but the Japanese goalkeeper blocks it off.

India vs Japan Asian Games Live Score: 48 mins; What a team goal that is. Abhishek with a brilliant run down the middle, he plays it to his left to Mandeep just before he enters the circle, continues his run and receives the ball back from Mandeep. The goalkeeper is caught out by that and Abhishek scores. Fantastic one-two there.

India vs Japan Asian Games Live Score: Sreejesh back in goal for this final quarter. India have alternated between him and Pathak in each of the quarters, as has been the case for quite a few years now.

India vs Japan Asian Games Live Score: Short time out before we get to the home stretch of this match. India have looked solid in defence, save for that last shot that Japan managed.

India vs Japan Asian Games Live Score: 43 mins: Kosei Kawabe with a shot from the right with his almost his back entirely to goal. It deceives Pathan and goes past him but is just about off target. Ryosei Kato dives in to try and turn in the rebound but is unable to do that. India quite lucky to not concede there.

India vs Japan Asian Games Live Score: 41 mins: Japan try to attack from left flank but Hardik takes it away and goes on a brillaint solo run to the middle of the court. He then passes inside to Harmanpreet who brilliantly turns the Japanese player challenging him and finds space. India looking quite comfortable now.

India vs Japan Asian Games Live Score: 34 mins: Amit Rohidas is the first man to score for India from a PC today. A lethal dragflick leaving the Japanese goalkeeper with no chances whatsoever.

India vs Japan Asian Games Live Score: 34 mins: Sensational long pass from the right to left and that provokes a penalty corner. Sukhjeet gets the rebound and puts it in but the ref had whistled for another PC before that,

India vs Japan Asian Games Live Score: Japan tried to attack early from the left flank. India dealt with the danger and now have the ball in their possession.

India vs Japan Asian Games Live Score: Here we go then, India have been good, but probably not as good as they would have wanted in attack. Even then, they are leading 2-0, which is saying something. Japan have threatened as well though.

India vs Japan Asian Games Live Score: 25 mins: India try a variation with the PC, a back pass after injection instead of a drag flick but he Japanese defenders push the ball out.

India vs Japan Asian Games Live Score: 24 mins: Mandeep makes it 2! Nilkanta’s flick pass from the outside the circle to Mandeep who converts.

India vs Japan Asian Games Live Score: 18 mins: Some fantastic hockey there. Sumit does well to deflate the Japanese attack and taking the ball away from the Indian circle, it comes forward and the ball is played at a rather uncomfortable height at his stomach inside the D right in front of the goal, he somehow controls it despite all the pressure on him from the Japanese defenders and takes a diving shot. Brilliant save by Japan’s Takashi Yoshikawa.

India vs Japan Asian Games Live Score: 15 mins: Japan’s defence has held up well, save for the one goal that India managed to score. The three-time champions will be looking to find more holes in it now.

India vs Japan Asian Games Live Score: Abhishek’s goal remains the difference between the two sides. Japan had some good circle entries but India clearly have clearly been the better side here.

India vs Japan Asian Games Live Score: 14 mins: Japan’s Shota Yamada limps off with an injury after being first rusher for Japan in an Indian PC. India win another PC but Japan refer that. It is adjuged as dangerous play and Japan’s referral is upheld.

India vs Japan Asian Games Live Score: 13 mins: India unable to convert from a PC but Abhishek scores from the pressure that was made by India after Japan saw it off. It was passed to him from outside the circle, Abhishek alert to the situation and turns it in with a reverse stick.

India vs Japan Asian Games Live Score: 12 mins: Japan win the PC but India see it off well. This has been a good show from the reigning champions in this first quarter.

India vs Japan Asian Games Live Score: 10 mins: They get a couple of circle entries but India are an organised lot. Sumit with a brilliant interception as he follows a Japanese attacker while the latter tried to make a circle entry.

India vs Japan Asian Games Live Score: 6 mins: The first PC of the match goes India’s way. Hardik injects and Harmanpreet with the drag flick. It misses the target.

India vs Japan Asian Games Live Score: 5 mins: A couple of good circle entries in the first five minutes itself for India. The ball is played accross the face of the goal to Sukhjeet who fails to turn it in.

India vs Japan Asian Games Live Score: Anthems done, the two teams have taken their places. India in their blues and Japan in red and white. India attacking right to left in this first quarter on your screens.

India vs Japan Asian Games Live Score: Krishan Bahadur Pathak (GK), Jarmanpreet Singh, Sumit, Varun Kumar, Harmanpreet Singh (C), Manpreet Singh, Hardik Singh, Shamsher Singh, Abhishek, Gurjant Singh, Mandeep Singh.

India vs Japan Asian Games Live Score: India’s record at the Olympics may be head and shoulders above everyone else but that isn’t really the case in the other three major tournaments in the sport. The CWG has been Australia’s fiefdom while Pakistan are the most successful team in the World Cup, with India having won that just once. In the Asian Games, India have won gold thrice and are only third in the all-time records. South Korea have won it four times while Pakistan have won it a whoppingt eight times.

India vs Japan Asian Games Live Score: Pakistan currently lead the standings, having won all three of the matches they have played thus far. They are thus on nine points with a goal difference of +30. India are second having won both matches they have played thus far. They are on six points with a goal difference of +31. Japan are third, level points with India but with a goal difference on +14. Bangladesh are fourth with three points while Singapore and Uzbekistan are fifth and sixth respectively with no points. The top two go through to the semis and so a victory today will all but confirm India’s progression.

India vs Japan Asian Games Live Score: China just beat Korea 3-2 in Pool B. The first match of the day was in Pool A between Uzbekistan and Pakistan. Pakistan won that match 18-2, which is the reason why they are top of the table. Then Bangladesh beat Singapore 7-3 in Pool A. Oman beat Thailand 5-3 in the first Pool B fixture of the day after that. Malaysia then beat Indonesia 9-2 in the second Pool B game.

India vs Japan Asian Games Live Score: India’s next match against arch-rivals Pakistan, who are currently the only team above India in their pool. That match is on Saturday at 6.15pm. Then India face Bangladesh in their last group stage match and that will be at 1.15pm in Monday.

India vs Japan Asian Games Live Score: PR Sreejesh, Krishan Pathak, Varun Kumar, Amit Rohidas, Jarmanpreet Singh, Harmanpreet Singh (captain), Sanjay, Sumit, Nilakanta Sharma, Hardik Singh (vice-captain), Manpreet Singh, Vivek Sagar Prasad, Shamsher Singh, Abhishek, Gurjant Singh, Mandeep Singh, Sukhjeet Singh and Lalit Kumar Upadhyay

India vs Japan Asian Games Live Score: This was a strange tie in the Asian Champions Trophy. The first time they faced each other was in the group stage, where India often looked ponderous and struggled to gain control over the match. That game was drawn 1-1. Then they met again in the semifinals and this time, India blasted Japan out of the water, winning the game 5-0 on their way to winning the title itself.

India vs Japan Asian Games Live Score: “We have to constantly be aware of their movements, especially when we are out of possession, so that we can close the gaps on time, and do not allow them to dictate the pace of the game. It will be an interesting contest and we are all ready for it.”

India vs Japan Asian Games Live Score: 32 goals scored, one conceded, six points. These are India’s stats after playing just two matches in the Asian Games this year. They started off with a 16-0 plundering of Uzbekistan and then flattened Singapore 16-1. But there are no surprises. Indeed, despite this sort of a start, India are second at the moment and a defeat today could make the going rather tricky for them.