India Beat Japan 4-1 to Reclaim Top Spot in Asian Champions Trophy 2026

India delivered an impressive performance at the Asian Champions Trophy 2026 in Punjab, defeating Japan 4-1 in the preliminary round on Friday. Abhishek Nain opened the scoring for India with an excellent team move in the first quarter. However, Japan equalised through a penalty stroke just before the end of the opening quarter. Both teams continued to compete intensely, keeping the score level until the third quarter.

India stepped up its attack in the final 15 minutes and scored three goals to seal the victory. Captain Harmanpreet Singh converted a penalty corner to put India ahead, followed by Abhishek Nain's second goal of the match. Vishnukant Singh added another goal towards the end to complete India's 4-1 win. With this result, India reclaimed the top position in the group standings, while Japan suffered its first defeat of the tournament. India had earlier defeated China 5-2 on Thursday.