GUWAHATI: India defeated hosts Japan 4-1 to win the Men's U-18 Asia Cup title on Friday, with Ashish Tani Purti scoring a hat-trick in the final.
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Purti led India's charge with three goals, while captain Ketan Kushwaha added the fourth as India produced a commanding display to secure the championship. Numada Gaku scored Japan's only goal of the contest.
India took an early lead and maintained control throughout the match, building a three-goal advantage by halftime before extending its lead after the break. Japan managed to pull one back in the final quarter, but the hosts were unable to threaten a comeback as India sealed the title.
Purti's performance capped an outstanding tournament for the forward, who finished as the competition's leading scorer with 13 goals and was named Player of the Match in the final. Goalkeeper Ayush Rajak added to India's success by being adjudged the tournament's Best Goalkeeper.
The triumph completed a successful campaign for India at the U-18 Asia Cup. Earlier in the day, the Indian women's team secured the bronze medal, with Nausheen Naz emerging as the women's tournament's top scorer with 12 goals.
Following the victory, Hockey India announced a cash award of ₹3 lakh for each player of the men's title-winning team and ₹1.5 lakh for each member of the support staff. The federation also announced rewards for the women's team, with players set to receive ₹1 lakh each and support staff members ₹50,000 each.