Captain Harmanpreet Singh made the difference as he converted two penalty corners to hand unbeaten India a close 2-1 victory over arch-rivals Pakistan in their final league game of the Hero Asian Champions Trophy hockey tournament in Hulunbuir on Saturday, September 14.
It was India's fifth consecutive win in the six-team round-robin competition.
Pakistan took the lead through Ahmad Nadeem (8th minute) before Harmanpreet (13th, 19th) converted two penalty corners to lead India to victory over their arch-rivals. It was Pakistan's first defeat in the Asian Champions Trophy.
Captain Harmanpreet Singh leads Team India to yet another famous victory against Pakistan. 🥳💪🏻2️⃣ penalty corners scored in the first half were enough to win this game after Pakistan took the lead in the game in Q1. Next up Semi Final on Monday. More details to follow.… pic.twitter.com/NWpH5si6aT
— Hockey India (@TheHockeyIndia) September 14, 2024
Related News | 
Harmanpreet Singh's Twin Strike Hands India 3-1 Victory Over South Korea In Asian Champions Trophy
Asian Champions Trophy 2024 LIVE Streaming: When & Where To Watch India vs Pakistan LIVE
Both India and Pakistan have already qualified for the semifinals. The victory also enabled India to maintain their supremacy over Pakistan since 2016.
In their previous meeting at the Hangzhou Asian Games in 2023, India thrashed Pakistan 10-2. A few months before, the Indians defeated Pakistan 4-0 during the Chennai edition of the Asian Champions Trophy.
At the Asia Cup in Jakarta (2022), a relatively young Indian side held Pakistan to a 1-1 draw while at the 2021 ACT in Dhaka, India defeated Pakistan 4-3 to clinch the bronze medal.
Related News | 
BCCI's Stance On Champions Trophy Explained After ICC Delights Pakistan With 'No Plans To Shift' Verdict
Like any Indo-Pak hockey game, the first quarter saw end-to-end action with both sides giving their all to gain bragging rights.
The Indians started brightly dominating the early share of exchanges but Pakistan grew in confidence as the match progressed.
India were at the receiving end for the first time in the Asian Champions Trophy when Pakistan drew the first blood. It was a selfless Hannan Shahid whose brilliant work from the midfield split the Indian defence and Nadeem found himself at the right place to direct the ball into the Indian goal.
A stunned India kept up their composure and patiently built their attacks and secured their first penalty corner in the 13th minute and skipper Harmanpreet scored with a powerful drag-flick to the left of a hapless Pakistan goalkeeper Munneb.
The Indians continued to press in the second quarter and gained their second penalty corner in the 19th minute and once again Pakistan defence had no answer as Harmanpreet was bang on target as India went up 2-1.
While India were the better side in terms of possession in the second quarter, Pakistan also had their chances, penetrating the rival circle on quite a few occasions.
Just 45 seconds from half-time Pakistan had a chance to draw level through a penalty corner but they wasted the opportunity as Sufyan Khan's flick, which hit the top of the bar, was rejected for a raised ball.
The Indians sustained possession after the change of ends and secured their third penalty corner in the 37th minute, but Pakistan defended bravely.
Thereafter, a sustained spell of attacks helped Pakistan bag four penalty corners in quick succession but lacked the firepower to breach the Indian defence.
In the last quarter, both the sides stitched relentless attacks and India secured three more penalty corners but failed to convert.
The game witnessed a heated encounter between Harmanpreet and Pakistan's Ashraf Waheed Rana after the latter shouldered Jugraj Singh inside the Indian circle.
Jugraj was felled by the impact and was seen grimacing in pain. Harmanpreet and Jarmanpreet Singh were quick to counter the offender.
The on-field umpires and Pakistan skipper Butt and other players of both sides rushed in to control the situation but Rana was shown yellow card, which resulted in a 10-minute suspension after the umpire went for a referral for a serious misconduct.
Meanwhile, in the first game of the day, Malaysia and Korea played out a 3-3 draw.