New Delhi. Indian hockey team captain Harmanpreet Singh said that the mutual solidarity among the players and the indomitable desire to support each other helped India win the Asian Champions Trophy for a record fifth time. India defeated China 1-0 in the final in Hulunbir on Tuesday thanks to a late goal from Jugraj Singh. Pakistan won the bronze medal with a 5–2 win over South Korea. According to Hockey India’s release, Harmanpreet said, “The final was really tense. The Chinese team presented a tough challenge to us throughout the match, due to which it was not easy to create chances to score goals.
He said, “But in the last few years, the players’ trust in each other has increased a lot. We are ready to do anything for each other. This kind of unity helps us win the matches.” The Indian captain said, ”Winning the gold medal in the Asian Champions Trophy in Chennai last year, the gold medal in the Hangzhou Asian Games and the bronze medal in the Paris Olympics has brought great confidence to the team. Deep harmony has arisen.” Harmanpreet led from the front in these competitions. He scored 10 goals in the Paris Olympics. India scored a total of 26 goals in the Asian Champions Trophy, of which Harmanpreet scored seven goals. He scored all his goals from penalty corners.
Harmanpreet said that it will be important to maintain this success in future also. He said, “We are proud that we were successful in defending our title but the work is not over here. There are still some areas which need improvement. We have to be strong as a team.” Vice captain Vivek Sagar said that after winning the bronze medal in the Olympics, the aim of every team was to defeat India. He said, “It was not easy to play against any team in the group stage. After winning the bronze medal in the Olympics, each team had made their target to defeat India. But each of our players gave their best performance.
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