India v Japan for the Asian Champions Trophy: Can Japan Spoil the Hosts’ Perfect Week?
Thursday night in Mohali is the game this whole tournament has been building towards. India v Japan, 6:30 p.m. PKT, for the Asian Champions Trophy.
India’s case is about as strong as it gets. Six wins from six, 42 goals scored, defending champions, five titles already in the cabinet, and a 4-1 win over these very opponents in the league stage last Friday. Harmanpreet Singh has 10 goals for the tournament after his penalty corner in the semifinal rout of Korea, and Wednesday’s 8-1 win was their second eight-goal hammering of Korea in three days. Craig Fulton warned about complacency before the semifinal. His players answered with eight goals.
Japan’s case is quieter, and that’s what makes them dangerous. They finished second in the league, they beat Malaysia twice this week in completely different ways, and on Wednesday they won a goalless semifinal in a shootout, scoring all five attempts. Teams that survive a night like that don’t arrive at a final hoping. They arrive believing.
History leans India’s way too. India are playing their seventh Asian Champions Trophy final. Japan are playing their third, and they’ve lost both previous ones. But finals don’t care much about history, and Japan’s defence has already shown it can frustrate better attacks than most. They held Malaysia’s 17-goal league attack scoreless for 60 minutes on Wednesday.
The bronze game matters as well. Malaysia v Korea at 4:00 p.m. PKT is a rematch of their league meeting, which Malaysia won 3-1. Malaysia will still be hurting from the shootout loss, and Korea will still be smarting from two heavy defeats to India. Bronze games are often about who recovers fastest, and Malaysia’s attacking talent, Azrai included, should have too much if their heads are right.
For our money, India win this. They’ve been the best team in Punjab by a distance, and finals at home, in front of that crowd, tend to go the hosts’ way. But if Japan can drag it into the fourth quarter with the score close, remember Wednesday night. They’ve already proved they don’t blink.