India vs Malaysia Hockey Highlights, Asian Games Final: History made; India win 5-1, defend gold medal for LA spot

Harmanpreet Singh scored a brace for the team. Jugraj Singh, Hardik Singh and Shilanand Lakra were the other goal-scorers. Spot at LA sealed.

India vs Malaysia Hockey Highlights, Asian Games Final: Brilliant show by the Indian team. (PTI)

India vs Malaysia Hockey Highlights, Asian Games Final: Malaysians tried their best but the Indians were too good. For the first time in Asian Games history, the Indians have defended their gold medal successfully. With this thumping win, they qualify for the 2028 LA Olympics. Second hockey gold in this edition. 21st gold for the Indian contingent. They have now moved up to the fourth in the medal tally. Harmanpreet Singh scored a brace, while Jugraj Singh, Shilanand Lakra and Hardik Singh scored one each. Easy match for the Indians. Malaysians fought a little in the first couple of quarters but in the last two, the Indians were just brilliant. With that the 2026 Asian Games comes to a close for Team India....Read More

Follow all the updates here:

• 3 Oct 2026, 05:18:18 PM IST

  India win gold!

  They win 5-1. Historic day. Back-to-back gold medals for the Indian men's hockey team at the Asian Games. The entire hockey campaign was good for the nation. Yesterday, the women's team also won the gold medal after 44 years after beating China. Harmanpreet's men showed a massive defensive improvement on their game against Pakistan. Congrats to Team India

• 3 Oct 2026, 05:14:48 PM IST

  Penalty corner and goal

  And Harmanpreet scores. Straight through. India lead 5-1 now. One-sided contest. Second goal for Harmanpreet. Surely it's India's gold now. Akhimullah tries to score at the other end but it stays 5-1 in favour of the Indians.

• 3 Oct 2026, 05:10:50 PM IST

  Lovely field gold

  Shilanand Lakra it is. Pass from the right and he has a simple job at the far post. India lead 4-1 now. Less than five minutes to go. India are on the verge of history.

• 3 Oct 2026, 05:03:18 PM IST

  PC for India

  It's Vivek the earner. Second battery and off the foot and a retake. Another retake. Variation. One more retake. Referral. Turned down. Retake. Retake. Attempt at variation but unfruitful. Finally the series of retakes comes to an end.

• 3 Oct 2026, 05:00:38 PM IST

  Five minutes gone just like that

  Now Indians are a bit defensive. Which is okay. Anyway, f India men win gold, it will be the first time that both Indian teams will return with gold medals. It will also be the first time that the Indian men's team will defend its gold for the first time at the Asian Games.

• 3 Oct 2026, 04:55:15 PM IST

  Numbers game

  India much better in all important parameters. More possession, more PCs and more circle penetrations. The final quarter gets underway.

• 3 Oct 2026, 04:52:15 PM IST

  Excellent defensive work

  Indians are so much better today. Against Pakistan they were all over the place for a very long time. They were a bit lucky to beat their arch-rivals. Anyway, the third quarter ends. India leading 3-1.

• 3 Oct 2026, 04:44:48 PM IST

  Another PC for India!

  Harman goes left, wide of the target. Retake now. Referral by Malaysia upheld. Shortly after another PC for India. Penalty stroke given. Another referral. It says. Hardik steps up! GOAL! Goes left of the goalkeeper. He has no chance. India are now leading 3-1. They will now feel a little better.

• 3 Oct 2026, 04:40:27 PM IST

  Lakra earns another PC

  What a player! Can India make it 3-1? No they don't. Jugraj goes over the top. So much force but no direction. Shortly after Dilpreet goes wide of the far post. Lakra was around but a bit far

• 3 Oct 2026, 04:33:00 PM IST

  Early move for India

  From the right flank. There might be some temptation to get a bit defensive but India should remember how that almost cost them the semifinal against Pakistan. They must play their natural game and look to score more goals.

• 3 Oct 2026, 04:29:26 PM IST

  Some trivia

  Harmanpreet is one win away from becoming the first India captain to lead the men’s team to two Asian Games gold medals. Seasoned midfielder Manpreet Singh, India's most capped player, could stand as the only Indian to win three Asian Games gold medals, after 2014 and 2023.

• 3 Oct 2026, 04:21:08 PM IST

  Lovely field play from the Malaysians

  There have been quite a few so far. Just get tackled at the end of it. Anyway, it's half-time. India leading 2-1. Harmanpreet and Jugraj on target for the defending gold medallists. Shello Silverius scored for the Malaysians. Take a little breather and come back.

• 3 Oct 2026, 04:18:14 PM IST

  Some interesting information

  India chief coach Craig Fulton and Malaysia head coach Brendon Carolan know each other very well. Both represented South Africa as players during the late 1990s and 2000s, building a close friendship and shared tactical foundation. When Craig Fulton was appointed head coach of the Irish men's team in 2014, he brought in Carolan as his assistant coach and tactical analyst.

• 3 Oct 2026, 04:13:03 PM IST

  Another PC for India

  Shilanand Lakra earns it. Jugraj Singh it is. Fantastic shot. India lead 2-1. So much power into that Jugraj hit. Harmanpreet Singh wasn't missed. Seventh goal for Jugraj in the 2026 Asian Games.

• 3 Oct 2026, 04:06:56 PM IST

  Malaysians have picked up

  They have really upped the ante! Akhimullah just a threw a big scare into the Indian team with his run into the circle and control. Shortly after there is a PC for India after a defensive blunder from a Malaysian player. But luckily for them, the Malaysians, nothing comes of the PC.

• 3 Oct 2026, 04:02:10 PM IST

  Second quarter gets underway!

  It's not going to be an easy game, rest assured. And the Malaysians earn a penalty corner. Lovely variation but a good save by Mohit. It's being reviewed. Malaysian appeal spot on. It hit the foot of an Indian player. PC and retake but nothing come of them.

• 3 Oct 2026, 04:00:41 PM IST

  What a quarter!

  It's 1-1 after 15 minutes. Breathtaking. The Malaysians took the Indians aback. They had no real attack to speak of prior to the goal. Very high quality goal from Shello Silverius.

• 3 Oct 2026, 03:55:42 PM IST

  Harmanpreet's 11th goal

  What a champion player! There are very few matches when he is offcolour. Wait, that's not important now. Malaysia get the equaliser. Shello Silverius taps the looping ball down and hits it straight away, right into the goal.

• 3 Oct 2026, 03:51:10 PM IST

  Five minutes to go

  No PC for India in the first quarter. No circle penetration for the Malaysians. Here is first PC for India. Can you believe it? Just as we wrote that! Nothing comes of it. Retake now. Harmanpreet gets the goal. Fierce drag-flick. India are ahead now. What a goal!

• 3 Oct 2026, 03:46:14 PM IST

  Circle penetration

  Vivek Sagar Prasad goes for goal from the left. Reverse hit, not on target. In hindsight, he rushed it. Could have waited another second before unleashing it. Shortly after another circle penetration but the Malaysian defence is equal to the task.

• 3 Oct 2026, 03:41:03 PM IST

  It kicks off!

  Bring your coffee or tea, it's going to be a fun game. You will need some stimulant. Let's see which side starts well. First four minutes, it's been quiet. Which is understandable, the game has just started. One needs some time to settle down.

• 3 Oct 2026, 03:35:51 PM IST

  National anthems underway

  India first. Indians look determined, singing the anthem. A couple of them out of tune though. Malaysia now. What an atmosphere. Emotionally charged-up!

• 3 Oct 2026, 03:26:47 PM IST

  What numbers say?

  Recent history heavily favours India, who have won seven and drawn two of their last nine matches against Malaysia. Their most recent clash, a pulsating 4-3 Indian victory in the 2023 Asian Champions Trophy final in Chennai, serves as a blueprint for the intensity expected. Malaysia's last victory over India came in a heartbreaking shootout in the semi-finals of the 2018 Asian Games, proving they know how to deliver at this stage.

• 3 Oct 2026, 03:24:49 PM IST

  Meanwhile, Pakistan take the bronze

  They have beaten South Korea 5-3. This is their first medal since 2014. It was a silver back then.

• 3 Oct 2026, 03:21:35 PM IST

  Match timing changed

  It's 3:40 pm now. A 10-minute delay. Apparently, the Indian team arrived late to the venue. Why? They were stuck in the traffic. The women's team's gold medal match which happened yesterday was also delayed, by more than one hour. Because of a highway accident involving other vehicles.

• 3 Oct 2026, 03:16:42 PM IST

  Harmanpreet continues to shine!

  India’s charge is spearheaded by Harmanpreet Singh, who has orchestrated the offense with 10 penalty corner (PC) goals, placing him second in the tournament’s overall scoring charts. He is flanked by the lethal striking duo Abhishek and Dilpreet Singh, who have contributed nine goals each

• 3 Oct 2026, 03:08:32 PM IST

  That semifinal, whoa!

  Both teams have survived gruelling, high-pressure semi-final tests. India looked imperious early on against arch-rivals Pakistan, racing to a 3-0 lead before allowing their opponents to claw back and level the match. It took a dramatic, last-minute strike from forward Abhishek to seal a 4-3 victory and avoid a shootout.

  Malaysia, similarly tested, held their nerve against South Korea, grinding out a 2-1 victory that underscored their composure in fine-margin encounters.

  World No.12 Malaysia — the highest-ranked Asian side behind India — present a formidable tactical challenge. Known as a tenacious unit, they seamlessly shift between zonal and man-to-man marking

• 3 Oct 2026, 03:07:35 PM IST

  Some more pointers from him

  Beyond continental supremacy, this final gives an automatic qualification spot for the 2028 Olympics. For defending champions India, victory would secure successive Asian Games gold medals for the first time in the country’s rich hockey history. Standing in their way is an unbeaten Malaysia desperate to claim their first Asiad title

• 3 Oct 2026, 03:06:16 PM IST

  Here is the preview by our hockey correspondent Sandip Sikdar!

  Everything you need to know.

• 3 Oct 2026, 03:00:59 PM IST

  India's start list and subs

  Jarmanpreet Singh, Abhishek, Manpreet Singh, Hardik Singh, Mandeep Singh, Harmanpreet Singh, Jugraj Singh, Sukhjeet Singh, Sanjay, Suraj Karkera, Rajinder Singh

  Substitutes: Dipreet Singh, Sumit, Nilakanta Sharma, Mohith Sashikumar, Amit Rohidas, Vivek Sagar Prasad, Shilanand Lakra

• 3 Oct 2026, 02:47:05 PM IST

  Hello and welcome!

  Hello and welcome to our coverage of the men's hockey final between India and Malaysia. A spot in the Los Angeles Olympics is at stake. Can men follow in the footsteps of the women? Stay tuned for more.