India thrash China 7-0 to reach Asia Cup hockey final, face South Korea in summit clash

Striker Abhishek struck a brace as a dominant Indian men's hockey team outplayed China 7-0 in their last Super 4s match to reach the final of the Asia Cup tournament here on Saturday.

Abhishek scored in the 46th and 50th minutes after Shilanand Lakra (4th minute), Dilpreet Singh (7th), Mandeep Singh (18th), Raj Kumar Pal (37th) and Sukhjeet Singh (39th) had sounded the board in a one-sided match.

India will face defending champions South Korea in the final on Sunday.


With the win, India topped the Super 4s league table with seven points, while South Korea ended at second with four points, ahead of China and Malaysia -- both on three points.

India are thus just one step away from qualifying for next year's World Cup.

India had played out a 2-2 draw against South Korea before beating Malaysia 4-1 in their earlier two Super 4s matches.

The winners of the continental tournament will qualify for next year's World Cup to be jointly hosted by Belgium and the Netherlands.