Moqi (China), 0G September 2024: The Hero Asian Champions Trophy witnessed a day packed with intense action, spectacular goals, and dramatic outcomes at the Moqi Hockey Stadium in Hulunbuir, China. All teams showcased remarkable resilience, thrilling fans with captivating matches that kept spectators on the edge of their seats.

In one of the most gripping matches of the day, Korea held Pakistan to a 2-2 draw, despite a late surge by Pakistan’s Hero of the Match, Hannan Shahid. The encounter was full of twists, with both teams battling until the final seconds. Hannan Shahid’s two back-to- back goals in the 60th minute put Pakistan in the lead at 2-1, only for Korea to equalize moments later with a last-gasp field goal from Sunghyun Kim. Pakistan dominated the early stages, creating numerous circle entries, but their efforts were thwarted by Korea’s solid defense. The match saw Korea take the lead in the 16th minute through Jiwang Hyun, before Hannan’s late efforts almost secured Pakistan a victory. However, Korea capitalized on a green card to Pakistan’s Sufyan Khan in the dying moments to ensure a dramatic 2-2 result.

Hannan Shahid, reflecting on the match, said, "We are glad we could earn one point from this effort and not lose three. It was disappointing not to end up on the winning side, but we’ll come back stronger."

Defending champions India continued their impressive form with a commanding 5-1 victory over Japan. India, fresh from their 3-0 win against China, quickly established control with early goals from Sukhjeet Singh (2') and Abhishek (3'). The Indian side displayed a cohesive and attacking style, maintaining high possession throughout the game. Sanjay’s penalty corner conversion in the 17th minute further strengthened their lead, while Uttam Singh and Sukhjeet added to the tally in the final moments. Japan

managed to pull one back in the 41st minute through Kazumasa Matsumoto, but it wasn’t enough to stop India from surging to the top of the points table.

Hero of the Match, Abhishek, commented, "It was a complete team effort today. We stuck to the basics, produced good attack, and ensured we were on target."

Hosts China delivered a sensational performance to claim a 4-2 win against Malaysia in front of a passionate home crowd. Despite Malaysia starting stronger, with better ball possession and attacking intent, China seized the early advantage with Jiesheng Gao converting a penalty corner in the 9th minute. Malaysia equalized shortly after through Azrai Abu Kamal, but China’s disciplined counterattacks proved decisive. Gao struck again in the 32nd minute, followed by Changliang Lin’s 40th-minute goal, pushing China to a 3-1 lead. Though Malaysia responded with a penalty corner goal from Faizal Saari in the 50th minute, China’s Jieming Chao sealed the game with a penalty stroke conversion in the 56th minute, securing their first win of the tournament.

With high-energy performances across the board, the Hero Asian Champions Trophy continues to deliver world-class hockey, setting the stage for even more electrifying encounters in the days ahead.

********************

About the Asian Hockey Federation (AHF)

The Asian Hockey Federation (AHF) is the governing body for the sport of hockey in Asia, recognized by the International Hockey Federation (FIH). Founded in 1958, the AHF today has 33 Member National Associations and organizes and sanctions more than twenty types of continental and regional events across all levels and age groups as well as overseeing the hockey competitions in several multi-sport events such as the Asian Games.

For further information about the AHF, please visit us at our: Website; Facebook; Twitter; Instagram

For media queries to AHF:

Email: communications@asiahockey.org

About Hero MotoCorp Limited

The New Delhi (India) headquartered Hero MotoCorp is the world’s largest manufacturer of motorcycles and scooters, in terms of unit volumes sold by a single company in a year — the coveted

position it has held for the past 23 consecutive years. The Company has sold over 118 million motorcycles and scooters in cumulative sales since its inception.

Hero MotoCorp currently sells its products in 48 countries across Asia, Africa, and Latin America. Hero MotoCorp has eight state-of-the-art manufacturing facilities, including six in India, and one each in Colombia and Bangladesh. It has two world-class, state-of-the-art RCD facilities — the Centre for Innovation and Technology (CIT) in India and Tech Centre Germany (TCG) near Munich. Hero MotoCorp is one of the largest corporate promoters of multiple sports, including Golf, Football, Hockey, Cricket and Motorsports. Golf legend Tiger Woods is Hero’s Global Corporate Partner.

For media queries to Hero MotoCorp Ltd:

Press Contact: corporate.communication@heromotocorp.com Website: www.heromotocorp.com

Facebook: www.facebook.com/HeroMotoCorp Twitter: www.twitter.com@HeroMotoCorp

Instagram: www.instagram.com/HeroMotoCorp