India reach a fourth straight Junior Asia Cup final as Anmol Ekka moves to 16 goals

India beat Malaysia 3-1 in the first semifinal of the AHF Junior Men's Asia Cup in Moqi, China, on Friday and booked a fourth consecutive final. Captain Anmol Ekka scored twice from penalty corners and now has 16 goals in the tournament. Sukhvinder added the third. M. Rahuul scored for Malaysia with 24 seconds left, from the team's eighth penalty corner.

Goalkeeper Vivek Lakra was named player of the match. He saved a penalty stroke and made a diving stop in the 58th minute. India will meet the winner of Pakistan versus South Korea in the final on 13 September. The junior side is chasing a fourth title in a row and a sixth overall.

How the goals arrived

India came out fast. Ajeet Yadav was close twice in the opening two minutes after long passes from defence. Three early penalty corners produced no goal. Malaysian keeper Amsyar Mohamad Adib blocked them. Ekka broke the match in the 16th minute with a low flick from the first battery.

India stayed on the front foot after half-time. A penalty corner in the 54th minute stood after Malaysia lost a video referral. Ekka drove the flick past Amsyar for 3-0. Malaysia had pressed late and earned a stack of corners. Rahuul's finish at the death was the first Malaysian goal that counted. It did not change the result.

India had topped Pool A with 10 points from three wins and a draw. South Korea took the other semifinal place from that pool by beating Japan 3-2. Malaysia arrived from Pool B, having beaten Kazakhstan, Bangladesh and China and lost 5-2 to Pakistan.

Why Ekka's tally matters

Sixteen goals from a drag-flicker at this age grade is a scoring rate that senior selectors notice. Junior Asia Cup finals have been India's stage for four cycles. The repeat is now the test. Pakistan, if they come through, bring a rivalry that still draws a crowd even at under-21 level. South Korea would bring the side that already took a game off Japan in the same pool India dominated.

The immediate record is clean. India 3, Malaysia 1. Ekka 16 for the tournament. Lakra's stroke save. Final on 13 September in Moqi. Four straight title matches, and one more game to make it four straight titles.