India clinch fifth Asian Champions Trophy title, edge past China in thriller

India edged past hosts China and registered a narrow 1-0 win to win a record-extending fifth Asian Champions Trophy title on Tuesday. The Indian team fought hard in the summit clash against a spirited Chinese side who put everything on the line to make a statement. Jugraj Singh, who entered the field as a substitute player, broke the Chinese deadlock in the final quarter to help India prove their supremacy in Asia. Although a rare field goal, Jugraj finding the back of the net came at a crucial time when the other Indian stars were finding it tough to get past China’s goalkeeper Wang Weihao.
Meanwhile, China, ranked 23rd, put up an incredible fight against India, the top-ranked Asian team. The players didn’t disappoint the home fans and produced solid defensive efforts to keep India at bay for the first three quarters. China showed immense promise and dominated the possession, but failed to get past the Indian defensive line.
China looked a bit shaky in the initial minutes of the match, but India couldn’t take advantage of it. The home crowd also put some pressure on Harmanpreet Singh and Co. as the fans came in big numbers to support the hosts. However, as the clock ticked, China started to look more comfortable with the ball, even though they lacked the intensity off the ball and allowed the Indian players to breach their defence and take shots at the goalkeeper. Sumit took the first clear aim on target in the sixth minute but was denied a goal by Weihao.
India’s first penalty corner came in the 10th minute of the match, but Harmanpreet Singh failed to breach the Chinese defence. As the ball hit the defender’s foot, India and Harmanpreet were awarded another PC, only this time for the ball to fly wide of the post. The Indian team got another chance to open the scoring in the 14th minute, but Weihao made another sensational save, leaving Sukhjeet stunned. The Chinese goalkeeper stood tall as a rock-solid wall for his side to deny India a goal in the first quarter.
India continued to play with a high-line press in the second quarter and took control of the possession to frustrate the Chinese players. Jarmanpreet Singh did make a couple of in-behind runs to exploit the defensive line, but China remained compact and didn’t give much space. Skipper Harmanpreet, who scored a brace against South Korea in the semi-final, missed opportunities to score from penalty corners in the first half. He was very close to putting India ahead in the final minutes of the second-half but the closest he came was hitting the goalpost.
A few minutes later, Manpreet dribbled past the Chinese defenders in the 13th minute and then was put down on the ground by Weihao. The Indian team was awarded a penalty stroke, but China straightaway went for a referral, and the video umpire overturned the decision to free-kick. China spent a considerable time in their own half defending, which hampered their attacking moves. When they managed to get the ball, very few players arrived in the Indian box to make the crucial runs.
China started the second half aggressively and put the Indian defensive line under some pressure, but the visitors held their fort. India head coach Peter Fulton was animated watching his players commit back-to-back errors, and their poor judgement allowed China to break free on numerous occasions in the third quarter.
The Indian players relentlessly tried to break the Chinese deadlock, and finally, with nine minutes and 34 seconds left on the clock, Jugraj did so. The super-sub made a massive impact and scored a crucial goal when it mattered the most. Skipper Harmanpreet set-up the lone goal as the Chinese defensive line broke at last after constant pressure from Indian forwards to concede in the final quarter
China tried hard in the final minutes to get the equaliser, but the Indian defenders made sure India became the Asian Champions Trophy winner for the fifth time.