Asia Cup 2025: China pips Japan for Super4s spot; South Korea advances from Pool B

The heat was on — literally and figuratively — as the Asia Cup 2025 reached the fourth and final day of the preliminary group stage. South Korea and China made their way through to the Super 4s on Monday to join India and Malaysia.

China played out a thrilling draw against Japan to make it to the top four on goal difference from Pool A, alongside India. Meanwhile, South Korea eased past Bangladesh in the sweltering heat of Rajgir, with the “feels like” temperature soaring close to 50 degrees Celsius around 2:00pm.

Despite the high stakes, spectators were a rare sight, a testament to the brutal conditions and the unreasonable match time. The demands of the situation seemed to weigh on the players, especially the Bangladeshi team, which appeared visibly anxious even before the opening whistle. Its coach ran from the dugout to deliver the equipment trolley behind the goal, which the players had forgotten to take before the whistle was blown.

As the match began, Korea, ranked 16 spots higher than its opponent, wasted no time. Its relentless attacks put Bangladesh on the back foot. Dain Son, the Korean star, who had notched a hat-trick earlier in the tournament, struck first in the ninth minute. Just two minutes later, he landed a second devastating blow, putting his team firmly in control.

South Korea’s players celebrate after scoring a goal against Bangladesh.
| Photo Credit:
PTI

Bangladesh struggled to find its footing in the second quarter too, conceding two more goals before finally breaking through. A hard-won penalty corner in the 22nd minute resulted in a much-needed goal, but it was too little, too late. Korea’s dominance continued, and it sealed its victory with a final goal in the last quarter, crushing Bangladesh 5-1. The comprehensive win propelled Korea into the Super 4s, leaving Bangladesh behind to fight for fifth place.

Ahead of the second match of the day, between Malaysia and Chinese Taipei, as the sun began to set, a new spectacle took over the stadium.  Launda Naach, a traditional folk art form, performed by local boys that had entertained the crowd for the past three days, was replaced by foreign women on the cheerleading podium.

The Speedy Tigers had already made their way to the top four and showed no mercy to the young Chinese Taipei team. The island nation, which had conceded 15 goals in its first two matches, conceded just as many in its final outing. For Malaysia, Akhimullah Anuar scored five to take his tally to nine for the tournament, while Ashran Hamsani netted five and Norsyafiq Sumantri bagged three.

With the blistering sun making way for the much more soothing floodlights, the most high-stakes match of the day got underway. Both China and Japan had lost against India in their respective matches by a solitary goal, and were up against each other to become the second entry to the Super 4s from Pool A.

China, fresh off a dominant 13-1 victory against Kazakhstan, came out with an aggressive mindset. It’s early pressure paid off in the first quarter when Changliang Lin capitalised on a coordinated attack from the left flank, scoring the opening goal with a powerful slice.

Kazumasa Matsumoto scored twice for Japan but that was not enough for his side.
| Photo Credit:
PTI

After falling behind, the Japanese team regrouped and began to find its rhythm, launching several counterattacks. However, it was unable to break through China’s solid defence. As the evening breeze made playing conditions more favourable, the quality of the hockey also improved. Ten minutes into the second quarter, China extended its lead with another field goal. But Japan was quick to respond, with Kazumasa Matsumoto scoring just minutes later to narrow the gap, leaving it only one goal down at halftime.

The last two quarters were a tug of war, with both sides pushing and being pulled by their opponents at times. The third quarter was goalless, but there was hardly a dull moment. Japan, with its hard-running style, created several opportunities from open play but failed to convert the two penalty corners it earned. China, on the other hand, defended deep and occasionally tried to venture forward, but failed to keep up with the counter-pressing of Japan.

A glimmer of hope ignited for Japan as Matsumoto latched onto a rebound from a goalmouth melee and whipped the ball into the roof off the net, at last breaching the seemingly impenetrable Chinese wall. But the celebration was short-lived. In the tense final nine minutes, Yoshihiro Anai’s squad couldn’t conjure another goal, and thus its dreams of advancing in the tournament were extinguished.

Published on Sep 01, 2025