As Australia dominates in ICC events, and Brazil in FIFA tournaments, India dominates in the Asian Champions Trophy tournament, leaving no space for the opposition to secure a successful mark.
Asian Champions Trophy
The year 2024 seems to be a golden year for sports in India. As in every sporting field, the country has shown its prominent excellence, which can start from its achievement in cricket. This sport has not only been a sport in this country but has also been an emotion for many people since the 1980s. After ten years of remaining without a trophy in major ICC events, they finally ended their trophy drought this year by clinching victory against South Africa in the T20 World Cup final in a thrilling contest by seven runs.
Also, in this year’s Summer Olympics, India showcased one of their best performances compared to other years, with athletes like Manu Bhaker winning bronze for the first time as an Indian woman in shooting games. Neeraj Chopra, one of the most successful Indians in the Olympic Games, bagged a silver medal in the javelin throw. The Paralympics .It is Olympics but for disabled people campaign of India was also described by the people as one of the best performances of the country since its inception. India secured 29 medals in this event, surpassing strong competitors like South Korea, Turkey, Greece, etc.
Now, another golden feather that has been adjourned on the cap of sports for India this year has come directly from hockey. As of 17th September, India, by defeating China 1-0 margin, has successfully secured the Asian Champions Trophy for the fifth time also in this process, reviving the golden legacy of hockey which India had.
History of the tournament
Unlike other hockey or sports tournaments, the Asian Champions Trophy is relatively new. This particular tournament was launched in 2011 by the Asian Hockey Federation with the main aim of ensuring that the Asian teams will successfully showcase their talent and competitiveness among each other through this tournament. Also, successfully, it will provide a platform where intense competition and rivalry can be seen. One of the main criteria in this tournament is that there will be only six Asian teams competing in this league, and they will be based on their rankings, which the International Hockey Federation provides.
This tournament also led to various classic rivalries going through various thrilling encounters and historic moments, with both teams ensuring a fierce battle with each other. Like for example, the India vs Pakistan games or Japan vs China/South Korea. Some of the prominent rivalries in the history of Asian hockey.
The past record of India in the tournament.
As Australia dominates in ICC events, and Brazil in FIFA tournaments, India dominates in the Asian Champions Trophy tournament, leaving no space for the opposition to secure a successful mark.
In 2011, when India first competed in the tournament held in China, they remained unbeatable on the group stage as out of 5 games, they secured two victories against China and South Korea and three draws against Japan, Malaysia and Pakistan, respectively. Based on the Goal Difference (Like Net run rate in cricket), they went to the finals, facing their arch-rivals Pakistan. In the finals, both teams were unwilling to give a single edge to their opponents and the total 60 minutes of the game remained goalless. However, India secured a comfortable victory against Pakistan in the penalty shootout, winning the first edition of the Asian Champions Trophy successfully.
In the 2012 edition, which was held in Qatar. India once again remained dominant in the whole tournament from the start. Even winning against Oman on one of the most significant margin victories in the history of the Asian Champions Trophy by any team with 11-0 was the score line.
However, a significant divergence in their rhythm was seen in their last match against Malaysia when the Men in Blue lost one of the worst ways by 3-5. This effect on the game remained for them in the finals also (Where once again they faced the same team they faced in 2011, their arch-rivals Pakistan), where, despite getting an early lead of 2-0, they lost against Pakistan by 4-5 and let the Men in Green to have their hand for the first time in the trophy.
The 2013 Asian Champions Trophy held in Japan perhaps was the worst performance by the Indian team till now. They played five matches, winning only two games against Oman and Malaysia and losing three against Pakistan, China and Japan, respectively. However, they kept their prestige by securing fifth place in this tournament when they defeated Oman by 6-1 in the fifth-place game.
After a hiatus, the Asian Champions Trophy returned after three years. This time, it was taking place in Malaysia. After a disappointing journey in the previous edition, India was again back on the right track as out of 5 games, they won 4 against Japan, Pakistan, China, and Malaysia, and they drew one against South Korea.
India successfully defeated South Korea in the semi-final, and once again, they met with their arch-rivals Pakistan in the final, but this time, the Men in Blue had the last laugh as they defeated the Men in Green brigade by 3-2 and not only by this they took the revenge of the 2012 final but also won the tournament for the second time and after five years.
India’s dominating performance remained in the 2018 Asian Champions Trophy also which was held in Oman. Once again, they won 4 games against Oman, Japan, South Korea and Pakistan, respectively and drew one Against Malaysia. In the semi-final, they also comfortably once again defeated the Samurais nickname of hockey team of Japan by 3-2 and faced their arch-rivals Pakistan for the 3rd time in the finals.
However, this time, the Men in Blue had to share the trophy with their rivals because the match got abandoned because of heavy rain that led the outfield to be massively wet. Just like the 2002 Champions Trophy of cricket, where India and Sri Lanka were declared joint winners for this very same reason.
In the 2021 Asian Champions Trophy held in Bangladesh, India remained dominant, just like in the previous edition of the tournament. They played four games, winning 3 out of them against Bangladesh, Pakistan, and Japan, respectively, while making one game draw against South Korea.
However, unlike the previous edition, the Men in Blue failed to progress to finals as this time, the Samurais successfully toppled them in the semi-final, and after eight years, they tasted another defeat in the Asian Champions Trophy as they lost by 3-5 margin. However, they successfully secured the bronze medal when, in the third-place match, they defeated their old foes, Pakistan, by a 4-3 margin.
The 2023 Asian Champions Trophy also saw the Men in Blue being, as usual, on top-notch form. Out of 5 games, they secured four victories against China, Malaysia, South Korea, and Pakistan and one draw against Japan. In the semi-final, they beat Japan by 5-0. Hence also taking revenge for the previous year’s loss in the semi-final. In the finals, however, unlike every year, things were a bit tricky for India as Malaysia, The underdogs of the tournament, reached the finals for the first time, and the men in blue also had a record of getting the worst defeat in this tournament in 2013.
The underdogs secured a 3-1 lead in the first half when everybody expected an unexpected victory for Malaysia. In the second half, however, India once again showed why they were currently the best team in Asian hockey, as from 1-3, they scored 3-4, thus clinching their 4th Asian Champions Trophy in their bag.
The past record of China in this tournament
However, unlike India, China doesn’t have a good record in this tournament. China, just like India, participated in this tournament since the beginning of it.
Unlike India, China had a terrible campaign in the first edition. Out of 5 games, they failed to secure any win and ended their 2011 Asian Champions Trophy with four losses, which were against India, Malaysia, Japan and Pakistan, with only one draw, which was against South Korea. They even failed to secure fourth place as they lost to South Korea by 2-1 in the fifth-place game, which made them the last boy in the first edition.
In the 2012 edition, however, China finished on a way better term than their 2011 outing. Out of 5 games, they won 3, which was against Japan, Malaysia, and Oman, and lost two, which were against India and Pakistan. This allowed them to compete in the bronze medal match against Malaysia. However, the Dragons, the nickname of the Chinese hockey team, fumbled against Malaysia in the game, where they lost against them by a 3-1 margin, thus finishing in fourth place.
In the Asian Champions Trophy of 2013 edition, the Chinese team remained on the same boat as they were in the 2012 edition. Out of 5 games, they won 3 against India, Japan, and Oman and lost two against Pakistan and Malaysia, respectively. Once again, the Dragons saw themselves playing for the bronze medal match against the same team for which they had competed on this similar purpose a year ago in the tournament.
However, just like in 2012, a complete repeat was seen in 2013 also, as the Malaysian hockey team destroyed China 0-3, and once again, they had to go home with the 4th position on their bag.
Asian Champions Trophy of 2016, where it previously looked like the Chinese hockey team was showing development. This was totally wrong in this edition as they failed to qualify for the semi-finals and provided their second-worst performance in this tournament after 2011. Out of 5 matches, they only secured one victory against Japan (The weakest team of that year’s tournament), losing four games against India, Pakistan, Malaysia, and South Korea, respectively.
However, they somehow managed to save their pride by avoiding the last boy spot as they, in the fifth place game, despite being trailing 0-2, successfully managed to defeat Japan by a 4-3 margin and gained the fifth position.
Meanwhile, for a brief amount of time, Chinese hockey, due to a lack of administration support and politics in the federation led this particular sport to see a significant decline, which was evident in 2018 and 2021 as they failed to secure qualification for Asian Champions Trophy .As they were not on the top six hockey teams of Asian side on FIH ranking which is a necessity to participate in this tournament.
However, they successfully returned to this tournament after seven years in the Asian Champions Trophy of 2023. However, even though they made a comeback, it was not that memorable. Perhaps they again produced another terrible performance after 2011 in this tournament.
Out of 5 games, they failed to win any, losing four games against India, Pakistan, Japan and Malaysia while making a draw against Malaysia. Even in the fifth-place match, they lost terribly against Pakistan with a 1-6 margin, which is also one of their biggest defeats in the history of this tournament.
The road to finals for India in the 2024 Asian Champions Trophy
In the 2024 edition of the Asian Champions Trophy that was scheduled in China. India started as a roaring typhoon, providing that they were here not only to win but to conquer the trophy back-to-back two times in a row. In their opening game, which was against the host (China) they successfully wiped out the host team as they secured a 3-0 victory against them in a formidable manner.
However, what they started with was just the tip of the iceberg, or more like the trailer, as the picture was still left in their next game against Japan. They successfully crushed the samurais, securing a 5-1 margin victory. Like in the previous match, Sukhejeet Singh, their forward player, also contributed to the Men in Blue team with his two valuable goals.
Their next match in the Asian Champions Trophy was against Malaysia, which Indian hockey fans have described as not a match but a complete massacre of the Speedy Tigers, which is the nickname of the Malaysian hockey team. In this match, they successfully secured an 8-1 victory against them, with their leading midfielder Raj Kumar Pal scoring a hat-trick (Also, he was the man of the match of the game). This was also their second-largest victory in this tournament after their 2013 game against Oman.
They successfully ensured that this performance would be kept alive in their next game, against South Korea, by beating them with a 3-1 margin. The skipper of the Indian team, Harmanpreet Singh, was awarded man of the match for his contribution of providing two crucial goals in the games.
However, they faced a bit of trouble when they faced Pakistan, their strong arch-rivals in Asian Champions Trophy history. As of just 8 minutes of the game, the men in blue trailed on the margin of 0-1. However, once again, the skipper of the team, Harmanpreet Singh, came to the rescue by scoring crucial goals at 13 and 19 minutes, respectively, and later cultivated a strong defense; by his leadership, they managed to stop the score line on a fixed point which was 2-1. This led the Men in Blue to qualify for the semi-finals without losing or conducting a draw in a single game.
In the semi-final, they faced South Korea, where they flexibly managed to defeat them with a 4-1 score line; in this process, once again, the captain of the team played how a captain should be, especially if it is a crucial match like a semi-final or final. Harmanpreet Singh scored two goals in 19 and 45 minutes, respectively. In the end, it was 4-1, and India once again qualified for the finals of the Asian Champions Trophy for two consecutive times.
The road to finals for China in the 2024 Asian Champions Trophy
Slow and steady win the race is a common proverb first used in the Aesop fable, which the ancient Greek writer wrote of the same name to describe a story between the tortoise and hare.
This proverb also works regarding China, after losing devastatingly on their home ground against India when everyone thought they might be stuck in fifth or sixth place. The team turned the assumption of everyone into a wrong zone, and in their next game against Malaysia in the Asian Champions Trophy who were comparatively stronger than them, they managed to win splendidly with a margin of 4-2.
In the next match against South Korea, despite losing by a margin of 2-3, they managed to win the hearts of the fans as they provided a solid performance against them, even getting the early lead of 1-0 in 14 minutes.
However, in the next match, as good as they were in the match against South Korea, it seems they were the opposite in this game as they lost by an inferior margin of 1-5 against Pakistan. The last match was a virtual quarter-final for them as the winner of this game would directly get an entry towards the Asian Champions Trophy semi-final, which was against their arch-rival Japan and with everyone expecting a victory of the Nippon brigade.
However, in this match, they seemed to alter the expectations of hockey fans once again as they comfortably beat them with a 2-0 margin and successfully, for the third time, managed to enter the semi-final of this competition.
In the semi-final, where they faced Pakistan (With whom they had a poor encounter in the group stage), this time it seemed that they had genuinely upgraded their performance as they managed to make the entire 60 minutes into a nail-biting thriller by the time the final whistle blew, it was 1-1. That led the match to be decided based on a penalty shootout to declare the winner.
In the penalty shootout, the brilliant effort of Wang Weihao (The goalkeeper of the Chinese hockey team) led the Dragons to secure a 2-0 victory in this segment and see themselves for the first time to qualify for the finals of the Asian Champions Trophy where they were about to face India.
The final
September 17 2024, the long-awaited final of this year’s Asian Champions Trophy commenced in Hulunbuir, China, on the Moqi Hockey Training Base ground.
India could have secured a 3-0 or 6-0 lead quickly in the 1st half had Wang Weihao not on the scene. The Chinese goalkeeper effectively saved some brilliant goals for the Indian players. He was standing between the Indian players like the Great Wall of China, who had seemingly left Beijing and taken residence in Moqi Hockey Training Base ground by taking the human form.
However, on the other hand, the brilliant effort that was seen throughout the Asian Champions Trophy was seen in Indian defense. The Indian defense, by the combined force of JamanPreet Singh, Amit Rohidas, Harmanpreet Singh, Jugraj Singh, Sanjay and Amir Ali, didn’t let a single Chinese player cross the 25-yard line throughout the game.
Both sides were not easily providing space for their opposition, and for the first time, it was seen that the Asian Champions Trophy final was on the point of nail-biting and thriller, as every final of this tournament was pretty much one-sided.
The game-changing moment directly came in the 51st minute for India as, once again, the captain was the game-changer. However, he didn’t score the goal, but by clearly passing the ball to Jugraj Singh, who was right in front of the goal of the Chinese team led the first goal of the match to happen that was done by Jugraj and India got a lead of 1-0.
Despite trying their best in the last 9 minutes to make it 1-1, China was outperformed by the Men In Blue, and finally, in the 60th minute, the final whistle of the game blew, and the scoreline was showing India 1 China 0. India won the Asian Champions Trophy for the second time in a row and the fifth time overall.
Aftermath
Congratulations to the Indian Men's Hockey Team on clinching their record-breaking 5th Asian Champions Trophy title! 🏆🏑
With a hard-fought 1-0 victory over China, India have not only retained their crown from 2023 but also solidified their position as the most successful team… pic.twitter.com/akCC5N6kGv
— Hockey India (@TheHockeyIndia) September 17, 2024The victory of India’s hockey team in the Asian Champions Trophy brought a wind of happiness for Indians since cricket might be an emotion for Indians, but hockey has been the pride and the legacy of the country since 1932. Especially the bar which has been set by Major Dhyan Chand in the 1930s .
Indian captain Harmanpreet Singh, who was named the player of the tournament, stated that the team won because the team successfully ensured that they maintained unity during the entire campaign. However, he also said that they need more improvement in various areas.
Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi was the first person to congratulate following the victory of the Indian Hockey team in this tournament. The prime minister on his X expressed his reaction to this incident, stating they made the nation proud.
Congratulations to the incredible Indian Men's Hockey Team for winning the Asian Men's Hockey Champions Trophy 2024!
Their remarkable performance, unwavering spirit and dedication have made the nation proud. pic.twitter.com/ZCd7liZk83
— Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) September 17, 2024Jay Shah (son of the Home Minister of India, Amit Shah, and the current head of the International Council of Cricket) also congratulates the team after their victory in the Asian Champions Trophy tournament. Saying how brilliantly they have pulled out such an aggressive and dominant performance.
I am elated to see Indian Mens Hockey team's undefeated campaign at the Asian Championship Trophy 2024. @TheHockeyIndia have displayed an aggressive and dominant performance in the tournament as they clinch the trophy! Congratulations to captain @13harmanpreet and his team! 🇮🇳🏑 pic.twitter.com/RKuQF13pM0
— Jay Shah (@JayShah) September 17, 2024The CM of Odisha (Another interesting fact that the Government of Odisha is the leading sponsor of the Indian hockey team for both men and women, perhaps the first state which sponsors an entire sporting squad of a country) has also wholeheartedly provided congratulations towards the Indian hockey team on his X account saying how brilliantly they uphold the spirit of sportsmanship.
Congratulations to the Indian men's #Hockey team for winning the #AsianChampionsTrophy2024 for the 5th time. The #MenInBlue made us proud with their outstanding sporting skills throughout the tournament and emerged champions. May they continue to shine and uphold the spirit of… https://t.co/4oJe9yXJ9A
— CMO Odisha (@CMO_Odisha) September 17, 2024FAQ
What was the score of the finals of the Asian Champions Trophy?
As of 17th September, India, by defeating China 1-0 margin, has successfully secured the Asian Champions Trophy for the fifth time also in this process, reviving the golden legacy of hockey which India had.
What was the main aim to launch the Asian Champions Trophy?
This particular tournament was launched in 2011 by the Asian Hockey Federation with the main aim of ensuring that the Asian teams will successfully showcase their talent and competitiveness among each other through this tournament. Also, successfully, it will provide a platform where intense competition and rivalry can be seen.
What is the biggest victory in the Asian Champions Trophy?
Winning against Oman on one of the most significant margin victories in the history of the Asian Champions Trophy by any team with 11-0 was the score for India.
Why did China fail to qualify for the 2018 and 2021 Asian Champions Trophy?
Meanwhile, for a brief amount of time, Chinese hockey, due to a lack of administration support and politics in the federation led this particular sport to see a significant decline, which was evident in 2018 and 2021 as they failed to secure qualification.
Which Indian player scored a hat-trick in the 2024 Asian Champions Trophy?
Their next match in the Asian Champions Trophy was against Malaysia, which Indian hockey fans have described as not a match but a complete massacre of the Speedy Tigers, which is the nickname of the Malaysian hockey team. In this match, they successfully secured an 8-1 victory against them, with their leading midfielder Raj Kumar Pal scoring a hat-trick (Also, he was the man of the match of the game).
Where was the final scheduled for the 2024 Asian Champions Trophy?
September 17 2024, the long-awaited final of this year’s Asian Champions Trophy commenced in Hulunbuir, China, on the Moqi Hockey Training Base ground.
Who scored the winning goal in the final of the 2024 Asian Champions Trophy?
The game-changing moment directly came in the 51st minute for India as, once again, the captain was the game-changer. However, he didn’t score the goal, but by clearly passing the ball to Jugraj Singh, who was right in front of the goal of the Chinese team led the first goal of the match that was done by Jugraj and India got a lead of 1-0.
Who is the player of the tournament in the 2024 Asian Champions Trophy?
Indian Captain Harmanpreet Singh was named the player of the tournament.
What Modi said about India’s victory in the Asian Champions Trophy?
Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi was the first person to congratulate following the victory of the Indian Hockey team in the Asian Champions Trophy. The prime minister on his X expressed his reaction to this incident, stating they made the nation proud.
