India's hockey team dominated the Pakistan team with a 4-0 win in the last group-stage game of the Asian Champions Trophy 2023 on Wednesday, August 9. The crowd at Chennai's Mayor Radhakrishnan Stadium witnessed the Indian team thrashing Pakistan's hopes for reaching the semi-final but also boosted the players' morale with their support throughout the game.
Chennai is hosting the seventh edition of the tournament and the crowd has been at its best to show their support for the home team. Fans support is playing a huge role in India's dominance in the tournament as they remain unbeaten with four wins and one draw in their five group-stage games.
However, fans took it to the next level ahead of the high-voltage India vs Pakistan game on Wednesday. The crowd grabbed the attention for signing India's national song 'Vande Mataram' and the organizers lit it up with eye-catching lighting effects to motivate the Indian team.
Fand dedication and passionate support always work and the Indian team took the field with a huge morale boost. Captain Harmanpreet Singh scored a brace in the first half, one goal each in the first two quarters, to add early pressure on Pakistan. India had already secured a semi-final qualification but their neighbours needed to win or draw the game to earn a top-four spot.
But Harmapreet's early goals from penalty corners kept the Pakistani team under pressure throughout the second half. With defence little opened up, Jugraj Singh scored India's third goal in the third quarter and Akshdeep Singh finished the game with a late goal to make it 4-0.
A defeat ended Pakistan's hopes of reaching the semi-final as they finished the group stages in the fifth position with just one win in five games. On the other hand, India topped the group table with 15 points and will face fourth-placed Japan in the second semi-final game on August 11.
