India continued their dominant run in men’s hockey at the Asian Games 2026 as the they defeated South Korea 8-2 in their Pool A clash at the Gifu Prefectural Green Stadium in Aichi-Nagoya on Thursday.
The victory was India's third successive win in the competition and kept them at the top of Pool A.
India had already made a strong start to their Asian Games 2026 campaign, thrashing Indonesia 13-1 before recording an even bigger 16-1 victory over Sri Lanka.
India vs South Korea: India Dominate First Quarter
India wasted little time in taking control of the match. The Indian side opened the scoring in the fourth minute before Dilpreet Singh doubled the advantage.
Captain Harmanpreet Singh then converted a penalty corner to make it 3-0. Abhishek Nain added another goal in the 14th minute as India ended the opening quarter with a commanding 4-0 lead.
South Korea tried to slow India's attacking momentum in the second quarter, but the Indian side continued to control possession and dictate the tempo.
India eventually found their fifth goal through Dilpreet Singh, who converted an opportunity created by Mandeep Singh. South Korea struggled to find a way through India's defence and went into the half-time break trailing 0-5.
Dilpreet Completes Hat-Trick
India continued their attacking approach after the restart. Dilpreet Singh scored early in the third quarter to complete his hat-trick and put India 6-0 ahead.
India earned penalty-corner opportunities but could not convert them. South Korea also had their chances, but failed to capitalise.
Abhishek Nain then added India's seventh goal as the Indian attack continued to trouble the Korean defence.
South Korea finally got on the scoresheet late in the third quarter when Kim Jaeho scored to make it 1-7.
ALSO READ: Parinaaz Dhaliwal-Anantjeet Singh Naruka Clinch Bronze Medal In Mixed Skeet At Asian Games 2026
South Korea Finish Strong
South Korea continued to push forward in the final quarter and earned penalty-corner opportunities. India goalkeeper Mohit Shashikumar, however, stood firm between the posts.
South Korea eventually found their second goal through Park, reducing the deficit to 2-7.
India remained in control during the closing stages and earned a penalty corner with just 30 seconds remaining. The opportunity was converted as India completed an emphatic 8-2 victory.
Eventually the result keeps India unbeaten and at the top of Pool A.
The Indian men's hockey team will next face Japan before taking on Bangladesh in their remaining Pool A fixtures at the Asian Games 2026.