That's it from us here - this is Subhashish signing off - do join us when India play Malaysia at 2240 IST on Tuesday night. Good night and stay with Sportskeeda for the latest news and updates.
Maybe, the Japanese have been weakened by the non-availability of several players - even so, the Indians have displayed without a shadow of a doubt that they are a class apart - after all, Harendra's boys won the Jakarta encounter too. It was an absolute no-contest here at Muscat - have we come any closer to understanding how and why Japan, and not India, are the Asian Games champions?? Well, India's next match is perhaps their biggest of the tournament - maybe we will have an answer then!!
AKASHDEEP IS THE PLAYER OF THE MATCH - THE INDIANS HAD 21 SHOTS ON GOAL - JAPAN HAD JUST THREE - 29 CIRCLE ENTRIES FOR THE INDIANS - JUST 9 FOR JAPAN WHO DID NOT MANAGE TO DO MUCH EVEN WITH 42% OF THE POSSESSION
THE ASIAN GAMES GOLD MEDALISTS DEMOLISHED BY INDIA YET AGAIN - IT WAS 8-0 AT JAKARTA - HERE, AT MUSCAT, HARENDRA'S BOYS FIRE NINE GOALS IN - THEY MANAGED TO SCORE EVEN WITH TEN MEN ON THE PITCH WHEN DILPREET PICKED UP A YELLOW CARD- AIKMAN'S SIDE NO MATCH FOR THE INDIANS IN ANY DEPARTMENT
55' The Japanese try a move down the center - cannot get far- Jarmanpreet gets a super ball in for Manpreet - FANTASTIC CROSS FROM MANPREET - ALL MANDEEP NEEDS IS A FEATHER TOUCH TO DEFLECT THE BALL IN
HARENDRA SINGH'S INDIANS ARE A CLASS AHEAD OF JAPAN - SIMPLY TOO GOOD FOR THE ASIAN GAMES GOLD-MEDALISTS - THE INDIAN BOYS MANAGE TO SCORE AND KEEP PRESSING AFTER BEING DOWN TO TEN MEN - SIMPLY AMAZING!!
The Indians had 58% of the possession - the Japanese couldn't do much with the 42% that they managed - the Indians are far too good- Siegfried Aikman agrees too!!
It's been one-way traffic for pretty much the entire first half - Japan had, well, a couple of good chances while the Indians lodged themselves in the Japanese 25- in spite of conceding 4 goals, the Japanese have defended well- for if they hadn't there could, possibly, have been 4 more!!!
