Kakamigahara, May 31. In the Pool A match of the Under-18 Asia Cup 2026, the Indian men’s team faced a 2-4 defeat at the hands of hosts Japan.
In this match played on Sunday, Ashish Tani Purti and captain Ketan Kushwaha scored goals for India, while for Japan, the scorers included captain Yoshioka Mahiro, Fujiwara Yuma, Yasui Kengo, and Takahashi Aone. India’s next match will be against Korea on June 1.
The first quarter of the match was very intense, with both teams struggling for possession in midfield. However, Japan broke the deadlock in the 15th minute. The host team used an excellent strategy, where Watanabe Atsuhiro passed the ball to captain Yoshioka Mahiro (15th minute), who scored with a diving shot.
Shortly after, in the second quarter, Fujiwara Yuma (20th minute) found space on the left flank, beat his marker, and struck a powerful backhand shot into the top right corner of the goal, doubling the host team’s lead. Five minutes later, India earned their first penalty corner of the day, which was successfully converted into a goal by Ashish Tani Purti (25th minute) with a precise shot.
India started the second half strongly, equalizing in the 32nd minute. The visiting team earned a penalty corner, which was initially saved by the Japanese goalkeeper. However, Japan failed to clear the ball in time, and captain Ketan Kushwaha (32nd minute) pounced on the loose ball in front of the goal and chipped it over the goalkeeper to level the game.
Japan earned another penalty corner in the 34th minute, which was again converted into a goal using a different strategy. This time, Watanabe Atsuhiro passed to Yasui Kengo (34th minute), who tapped the ball into the net.
With three minutes remaining in the third quarter, Japan extended their lead through a field goal by Takahashi Aone (42nd minute). India launched several attacks in the final quarter in an attempt to make a comeback, but Japan held firm and ensured their goal remained safe until the end of the match, thus securing three points.
