Mohali: Shilanand Lakra from Odisha’s Sundargarh helped India come from behind to beat Japan 4-1 and lift the Asian Champions Trophy (ACT) title on Thursday evening.
It was defending champions India’s record-extending sixth triumph in the competition.
Japan stunned the home crowd in Mohali by scoring through Kazumasa Matsumoto in the third minute.
Despite their best efforts and multiple circle entries, India failed to find the equaliser and trailed 0-1 at half-time.
Deep into the third quarter, it was Shilanand who scored the crucial goal to level scores. Harmanpreet Singh’s attempt off a penalty corner was saved by goalkeeper Kisho Kuroda. The Indians regained possession and Shilanand sounded the board off a nice flick pass by Aditya Lalage.
Japan protested the goal, claiming the pass from Aditya was a high ball. The TV umpire had a look and retained the on-field call.
In the final quarter, India were all over Japan and scored thrice to seal a memorable win. Dilpreet Singh (48th), Jugraj Singh (53rd) and Vivek Sagar Prasad (54th) were the scorers.
Craig Fulton’s side thus topped the ACT unbeaten, winning all five league matches before brushing aside South Korea 8-1 in the semifinal.
Japan had advanced to the final after edging out Malaysia 5-3 via a shootout following a 0-0 result in regulation time.
