India had exited the medal race after losing its crossover game to New Zealand 5-4 in the shootout.

Mandeep Singh, Manpreet Singh, Sukhjeet Singh, and Vivek Sagar Prasad each scored one goal, while Harmanpreet Singh and Abhishek both scored twice. There were none for the Japanese. On January 28, 2023, India would now face South Africa in the battle for ninth or tenth place.

Japan shown tenacity at times, and goalie Takashi performed admirably. However, the Japanese defence was unable to withstand the Indian power game. Because of his two goals, India’s Abhishek was named Man of the Match.

Hockey used to be played in India’s streets and stadiums to capacity crowds until the 1980s, but now it has lost the magic it used to have on Indians.

Poor management and a lack of facilities, particularly astroturf fields, are two of the numerous factors contributing to the collapse of Indian hockey.

(With inputs from agencies)