Harmanpreet Singh scored three times as India defeated Malaysia 4–2 in the men's Asian Champions Trophy in Jalandhar on November 1. The victory continued India's winning run and confirmed its place among the tournament's semifinalists.
Malaysia remained in contention despite the defeat. Reports after the match identified India, Malaysia, Japan and South Korea as the four teams through to the last four, with the concluding round-robin fixtures still to be completed.
India pull away after an even score at the interval
Harmanpreet put India ahead early, before Akhimullah Anuar brought Malaysia level. The teams went into the second half with the score at 1–1, leaving the contest open despite India's initial advantage.
The Indian captain restored the lead in the 33rd minute. Sukhjeet Singh then added another goal in the 43rd, creating a two-goal cushion. Harmanpreet completed his hat-trick with a late penalty stroke, before Shello Silverius scored Malaysia's second near the end.
Bernama and the Indian Express agree on the result and principal scorers. Their descriptions differ on the precise classification of Sukhjeet's goal, so this account records the goal without presenting the disputed detail as settled.
The captain's contribution
Three of India's four goals came from Harmanpreet. His scoring supplied the opening advantage, restored it after Malaysia's equaliser and later expanded the margin when the visitors were running out of time.
Those moments explain why the hat-trick was decisive. It was not simply a collection of goals after the result had already been secured. The captain influenced the match at points when the score was either level or still close enough for Malaysia to respond.
Sukhjeet's contribution was also important. Moving from 2–1 to 3–1 changed the task facing Malaysia, which then needed more than one goal to draw level. Silverius's late strike reduced the final margin but did not reverse that second-half advantage.
A win with room for improvement
The Indian Express reported that coach Craig Fulton still wanted sharper finishing despite the victory. It also reported that Abhishek missed the match after an ankle problem during the warm-up, affecting India's available attacking options.
Neither point cancels the result. Instead, they show the difference between winning a match and satisfying every performance target. A team can take the points while still identifying areas that require attention before the knockout stage.
The halftime score illustrates that challenge. India's early lead did not remove Malaysia from the game, and the hosts needed another strong passage after the break to establish separation.
