Watch: Heated moments in close India vs Pakistan hockey thriller in China

The India vs Pakistan match in the Asian Champions Trophy hockey lived up to its billing on Saturday as the arch-rivals played out a competitive game at the Mogi Hockey Training Base in Hulunbuir, China. Pakistan came up with a valiant fight on the field against the Olympic bronze medalists, who won the match 2-1 and extended their unbeaten run in the competition. Typical of the high-octane contests between India and Pakistan, Saturday’s match also had a volatile moment in which players from both sides were involved in pushing and shoving.
In the fourth and final quarter of the contest, Pakistan’s Rana Waheed Ashraf of Pakistan received a 10-minute yellow card for a rough tackle on India’s Jugraj. This incident led to some argy-bargy between the players. While the referee needed video replay assistance to check the severity of the foul, the on-field tussle began.
How India beat Pakistan in Asian Champions Trophy hockey
The foul was committed inside the D area by Rana, who pushed Jugraj Singh after the Indian player tried to stop a shot and tackle the ball. Jugraj was in considerable pain after the rough tackle as he fell on the floor, calling for medical assistance. Indian captain Harmanpreet Singh rushed towards Rana to confront the Pakistan player. Rana was trying to shy away from the confrontation as the two sets of players rushed towards each other. The referee had to intervene and diffuse the situation. India’s Jarmanpreet Singh went ahead and confronted Rana before the situation eased.
Ashraf Waheed Rana received a 10-minute yellow card for the physical foul on Jugraj Singh in India’s circle. With the extra man, India mounted pressure on Pakistan with relentless attacks but missed out on capitalising as they kept losing possession in the final third. With two minutes to go, Manpreet Singh received a yellow card, leaving both teams with 10 men apiece.
India earned another penalty corner with 90 seconds left on the clock, but Harmanpreet’s shot was blocked, and the rebound was missed by the Indian forward. The defending champions then ran down the clock to edge past Pakistan.
India held their nerves and successfully defended the one-goal lead in the final quarter to emerge victorious. The brace from Harmanpreet Singh and a steely effort from goalkeeper Krishan Pathak helped India remain unbeaten in the group stage. Despite resting their star players, India managed to eke out a win against their arch-rivals.
India will take on South Korea in the semi-final of the Hockey Asian Champions Trophy on Monday while Pakistan will take on hosts China in the first semi-final.
In the round-robin stage, India had been in stellar form, winning all their matches convincingly. They began their campaign with a 3-0 victory over hosts China, followed by a 5-1 win against Japan, an 8-1 thrashing of Malaysia, and a 3-1 victory over Korea.
Pakistan, on the other hand, had a more mixed start to the tournament. They began with two hard-fought draws against Malaysia and Korea but then found their stride with wins over Japan and China.