India stormed into the semifinals of the Men’s U18 Asia Cup 2026 with a ruthless 13-1 demolition of Chinese Taipei in their final Pool A match on Wednesday.
Led by a hat-trick from Ashish Tani Purti, the young Indians delivered a dominant attacking performance, overwhelming their opponents from the opening whistle and capping off the group stage in emphatic fashion.
The victory ensured India finished the pool phase with three wins from four matches, having earlier defeated Kazakhstan, Korea and Chinese Taipei, with their only setback coming against hosts Japan. The team ended the group stage with nine points and secured a place in the last four.
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The goal-fest continued for India U18 on Wednesday as the Men’s Team dominated Chinese Taipei with a 13-1 win in their last Pool A match to enter the semi-finals of the U18 Asia Cup 2026 in Kakamigahara. ⚡
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Purti starred with three goals, while Gazee Khan (40′, 44′), Siddharth Ben (30′, 52′) and Rahul Yadav (20′, 54′) struck braces. Karan Gautam (7′), Premchand Soy (11′), captain Ketan Kushwaha (13′) and Varinder Singh (50′) also found the net in India’s biggest win of the tournament so far.
India made their intentions clear from the outset, dictating the tempo with incisive play that constantly troubled the Chinese Taipei defence. They broke the deadlock in the seventh minute as Karan converted India’s first penalty corner of the match.
Premchand (11’) then doubled the lead with a field goal, while skipper Kushwaha (13’) added a third in quick succession to put his side firmly in control by the end of the first quarter.
India continued their dominance in the second quarter. Yadav (20’) added a fourth before Purti (27’) converted a penalty corner to make it 5-0. Siddharth (30’) rounded off a prolific second quarter for India with another field goal right at the stroke of half-time. However, Yong-Jyun Jhang (30+) pulled a goal back for Chinese Taipei, scoring from a penalty corner just before the hooter to make it 6-1 at the break.
India resumed with the same intensity after the break. Purti bagged his second goal from another set-piece in the 35th minute to make it 7-1. Khan (40’) then got into the act, converting a penalty corner to extend India’s lead even further. Purti (42’) completed his hat-trick, converting from another penalty corner, while Khan (44’) added his second as India went into the final quarter with a commanding 10-1 lead.
The fourth quarter saw India maintain their relentless pressure as it remained clinical from set-pieces. Varinder (50’) converted a penalty corner before Siddharth (52’) scored his second goal of the match. Yadav (54’) rounded off a fine team display with his second goal of the match to seal a resounding 13-1 victory for India.
The win confirms India’s progression to the semifinals of the tournament, which will be played on Friday. India’s opponents will be decided after the last Pool A match between Japan and Kazakhstan later today.
(With agency inputs)