Hockey rivals India beat Pakistan 4-3 in a dramatic Asian Games semi-final on Thursday after Pakistan staged a remarkable second-half comeback.

Pakistan trailed 3-0 but fought back to level the match at 3-3. However, Abhishek scored with less than a minute remaining to send India into the final.

India make strong start

India dominated the opening stages and quickly took control of the match.

Captain Harmanpreet Singh opened the scoring in the fifth minute. He converted another penalty corner eight minutes later to double India’s advantage.

Sukhjeet Singh then made it 3-0 in the 23rd minute. He finished a well-worked move involving Manpreet Singh and Shilanand Lakra.

Pakistan finally responded before half-time.

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Captain Abu Bakar Mahmood converted a penalty corner in the 30th minute. His goal reduced India’s lead to 3-1.

Pakistan launch comeback

Pakistan increased the pressure after the break.

Ammad Butt received a yellow card in the 38th minute. Despite playing under pressure, Pakistan continued to create opportunities.

Abdul Hannan Shahid pulled another goal back in the 45th minute. He took advantage of defensive uncertainty to make the score 3-2.

India also received a green card when Dilpreet Singh left the field around the same period.

Pakistan completed the comeback early in the final quarter.

Rana Waheed Ashraf scored in the 49th minute to make it 3-3. The equaliser raised hopes of a memorable victory or a penalty shootout.

Late goal sends India through

Both teams pushed for the winning goal as the match entered its final stages.

India finally found the breakthrough with less than a minute remaining.

Abhishek created space on the right side of the circle before his shot took a deflection. The ball beat Pakistan goalkeeper Muneeb-ur-Rehman Raza and gave India a 4-3 victory.

The defeat extended India’s unbeaten run against Pakistan to 21 matches.

Pakistan to play for bronze

Pakistan had impressed during the group stage. The team scored freely against Thailand, Uzbekistan, China and Oman before finishing second in Pool B.

India topped Pool A without a defeat and now move into the gold-medal match.

India will face the winner of the second semi-final between Malaysia and South Korea.

Pakistan will play for the bronze medal on Saturday. The team will now look to finish the tournament with a podium place.