Asian Games: India thrash Hong Kong 26-0 for biggest hockey win

The Indian men’s hockey team continued with its unbeaten streak at the Asian Games 2018 by beating Hong Kong 26-0 to record their biggest victory in an international hockey competition in their second Pool B match on Wednesday.

Rupinder Pal Singh (3^rd, 5^th, 30^th, 45^th, and 59^th) with five goals was India’s top-scorer, while Harmanpreet Singh (29^th, 52^nd, 53^rd, and 54^th) and Akashdeep Singh (2^nd, 32^nd, and 35^th) netted four and three goals respectively. Among the other goal scorers, Lalit Upadhyay (17th, 19^th) Varun Kumar (23^rd, 30^th) and Manpreet Singh (3^rd, 17^th) chipped with two goals each, while Sunil SV (7^th), Surender Kumar 55^th), Vivek Sagar Prasad (14^th), Amit Rohidas (27^th), Chinglensana Kangujam (51^st), Mandeep Singh (21^st), Simranjeet Singh (53^rd) and Dilpreet Singh (48^th) scored the rest of the goals.

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World No.5 India was utterly dominant against the 45 ranked Hong Kong, improving on its 86-year-old record when they pummeled USA 24-1 at the 1932 Olympics.

The record for the biggest hockey international victory currently stands with New Zealand, who crashed Samoa 36-1 in 1994.

Facing a weak opponent, India were four goals ahead within the first five minutes and were 14-0 up in the first half-hour period.

Such was India’s dominance that they played the final seven minutes of the match without a goalkeeper.

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The victory was India’s second in the competition after the 17-0 thrash of Indonesia in their first Pool A match. The win over the hosts was also India’s biggest win at the Asian Games after the 12-0 victory over Bangladesh in 1982.

After finishing as Runners-up in the recently concluded Hickey Champions Trophy, team India is the favourites to defend their Asiad title, which they had won last year.

India will take on Japan on Friday.