Hulunbuir (China), Sep 17
Coach Craig Fulton was full of praise for the young Indian men's team that retained the Asian Champions Trophy, beating China 1-0 in the final at the Moqi Training Base in Inner Mongolia. The chief coach was happy with the unbeaten run in the tournament but said the campaign was not easy for the young side.
Harmanpreet Singh, the captain, who led India to a bronze medal in Paris, was named the Hero of the Tournament. He scored at crucial stages and also set up the winning goal in the final.
Chief coach Fulton said, "It was tough for us, a good one in the end. We had to work hard, it was a really good fight. Seven games and we played some good hockey but we just couldn't score tonight but we got the result in the end."
Fulton added, "It has been a roller-coaster ride, Paris and what happened there and just eight days with the family. To come here with a young group and some new players, the boys were tired but we found a way and that's always the sign of a good team," said the coach who guided India to a bronze medal in the Paris Olympic Games. India bagged back-to-back medals at the Olympic Games for the first time since the 1972 Munich Games.
Fulton added that this team could go a long way and there was enough talent to build a solid unit for the future.
Skipper Harmanpreet was also thrilled with the result as it showed the next lot was ready to take on the responsibility as India prepared for bigger challenges.
India's full results in the Asian Champions Trophy Hockey Tournament:
Match 1: India 3-0 China (India: Sukhjeet Singh 14', Uttam Singh 27', Abhishek 32')
Match 2: India 5-1 Japan (India: Sukhjeet Singh 2', 60', Abhishek 2', Sanjay 17', Uttam Singh 54'; Japan: Matsumoto Kazumasa 41')
Match 3: India 8-1 Malaysia (India: Raj Kumar Pal 3', 25', 33', Araijeet Singh Hundal 6', 39', Jugraj Singh 7', Harmanpreet Singh 22', Uttam Singh 40'; Malaysia: Akhimullah Anuar 11')
Match 4: India 3-1 South Korea (India: Harmanpreet Singh 9', 43', Araijeet Singh Hundal 8'; South Korea: Jihun Yang 30')
Match 5: India 2-1 Pakistan (India: Harmanpreet Singh 13', 19'; Pakistan: Ahmad Nadeem 8')
Semi-final: India 4-1 South Korea (India: Harmanpreet Singh 19', 45', Uttam Singh 13', Jarmanpreet Singh 32'; South Korea: Yang Ji-Hun 33')
Final: India 1-0 China (India: Jugraj Singh 51').