China Advances to Asian Champions Trophy Semifinals with 2-0 Victory Over Japan

Hosts China secured a 2-0 victory against Japan, advancing to the semifinals of the Hero Asian Champions Trophy. Goals from Benhai Chen and Jieming Chao lifted China to No.3 in the points table, setting up a semifinal clash with Pakistan. Japan will now compete for the 5th and 6th places.

Hosts China beat Japan 2-0 to secure a spot in the semifinals and rise to No.3 in the points table at the ongoing Hero Asian Champions Trophy, held at the Moqi Hockey Training Base on Saturday. The enthusiastic home crowd energized China to deliver a spirited performance, edging them into the top four. This result eliminated Malaysia from title contention and pushed Korea down to fourth place. China will now face Pakistan in the first semifinal, while India will clash with Korea in the second semifinal on Monday. Malaysia and Japan will contest for the 5th and 6th places earlier in the day.

Goals were scored by Benhai Chen in the 7th minute and Jieming Chao in the 25th minute, ensuring China's victory and elevating the home crowd's celebrations at Moqi Training Base. China started strong with dominant ball possession in the first quarter and created multiple goal-scoring opportunities. Upon winning two penalty corners, they capitalized on a well-executed set-piece to secure an early 1-0 lead. The lead was extended in the second quarter with Chao's impressive field goal.

Japan attempted a comeback in the third quarter, winning a penalty corner shortly after halftime. However, China's goalie Caiyu Wang performed exceptionally well, thwarting Japan's six attempts to score. Wang was a standout at the goalpost, stopping several ambitious shots. The final quarter maintained its tension as Japan continued to search for goals, while China also pushed aggressively to increase their lead. Despite three additional penalty corner opportunities for Japan, China's defense held firm, culminating in a crucial win and three points.

Player of the Match, Benhai Chen of China, remarked, "We did substantial preparations for this match, analyzing multiple match footages of Japan. After losing our previous two matches, today's victory was essential for making it to the semifinals. We will now focus on our next game against Pakistan on Monday." (ANI)

(With inputs from agencies.)