All You Want To Know About Men’s Hockey Asia Cup!

• The inaugural Men’s Hockey Asia Cup was played at Karachi in 1982 and won by hosts Pakistan

• Hassan Sardar has scored most goals across all editions of men’s Asia Cup – 26 goals, including 3 hat-tricks

• India’s first win over arch-rivals Pakistan at the Asia Cup came at the 6th edition in New Delhi, where they won the final 4-2 to corner glory – they had lost 0-4 in 1982, 2-3 in 1985 and 0-2 in 1989 editions)

• Malaysia have hosted the Men’s Hockey Asia Cup on most occasions – 4 times (199, 2003, 2009, 2013)

• India were runners-up on four consecutive occasions in 1982, 1985, 1989, and 1994

• Pakistan became the first team to retain the Asia Cup crown in 1985 at Dhaka

• India have scored most goals in a single Asia Cup – 57 goals in the 2007 edition at Chennai

• At the 1994 Asia Cup at Hiroshima, India were handed an opening match surprised as they were held to a 1-1 draw by Kazakhstan

• Hassan Sardar was the top goal-scorer of the inagural Asia Cup in 1982 with 16 goals

• At the 1999 Asia Cup in Kuala Lumpur, uperb penalty corner flick by Ji Seong Hwan scored a short corner goal with just 45 seconds remaining to deny India a place in the final – a game where India scored thrice in quick succession after conceding two goals in first five minutes of play to eventually lose 4-5

• South Korea did not feature in the inaugural edition in 1982

• India and Pakistan have been placed in the same pool of the Asia Cup only on three occasions – 2003, 2009 and 2017 editions

• Malaysia’s only final appearance happened at the 2017 edition in Dhaka where they lost to India

• India’s final 7-2 win over Korea in the 2007 edition is the biggest winning margin in an Asia Cup final

• South Korea have won the Asia Cup on most occasions – four (1994, 1999, 2009, 2013)

• Four Nations: India, Pakistan, Malaysia, and Bangladesh have taken part in every Asia Cup so far

• Pakistan’s Sohail Abbas was the top goal-scorer (16 goals) at the 1999 Asia Cup at Kuala Lumpur

• Six India players were banned for roughing up the Japanese umpire after they disputed a goal allowed by him during the 1985 Asia Cup final against Pakistan in Dhaka

• India’s 20-0 win vs Sri Lanka at the 2003 edition, Pakistan and Malayisa 20-0 wins over Thailand at the 1993 Asia Cup are the biggest victory margins in the men’s Asia Cup

• Pakistan (1982 & 1985), India (2003 & 2007), and South Korea (1994 & 1999) have retained the Asia Cup so far

• Rajinder Singh was the coach of the Indian team that won the Asia Cup for the first time in 2003 at Kuala Lumpur

• Dhanraj Pillay featured in three Asia Cups (1989, 1999 and 2003)

• Kuala Lumpur is the only city to host the Asia Cup twice (1999 and 2003)
  

• At the 1985 Asia Cup, India thrashed South Korea 8-1

• At the 2007 Asia Cup final in Chennai, the Korean coach took his players off the pitch for a few minutes after they disputed a goal being disallowed by the umpire

• Pakistan completed a hat-trick of Asia Cup triumphs at the 1989 edition

• Dhanraj Pillay was recalled for the 1999 Asia Cup after a ten-month gap following winning the 1998 Asian Games gold medal at Bangkok

• India have finished runners-up in the Asia Cup on most occasions – five times

• BSNL sponsored the 2007 Asia Cup at Chennai

• Pakistan have scored most goals in Asia Cup -267 goals

• South Korea’s Jang Jong-hyun was the top goal-scorer of the 2013 Asia Cup with 8 goals

• Bangladesh have taken part in every Asia Cup so far, but their best showing has been a 5th place finish in the inaugural edition in 1982

• Joacquim Carvalho was the coach of the Indian team that regained the 2007 Asia Cup at Chennai

• Drag-flicker Sandeep Singh missed at the 2007 Asia Cup after sustaining an injury at the national camp in Bengaluru – he had a fall in the bathroom and injured his back and was replaced by V Raghunath
  
  

• China missed the 2013 Asia Cup because of a clash with China’s National Games that were held from August 31 to  September 12, 2013

• Prabhjot Singh was the top goal-scorer (15 goals) at the 2007 Asia Cup

• India dedicated their 2003 Asia Cup win to drag-flicker Jugraj Singh who was recovering in hospital from multiple fractures suffered in a road accident

• Pakistan’s hold on the winning trophy was halted at the 1994 Asia Cup as South Korea won it for the first time

• Super 4s was introduced for the first time ever at the 2017 Asia Cup

• A whopping 272 goals were scored in the 2007 Asia Cup in Chennai – the highest in any edition so far
  
  
• India made a remarkable in the semifinal of the 2003 Asia Cup at Kuala Lumpur – they trailed South Korea 0-1 till the 53rd minute but scored 4 goals in quick succession to win the tie 4-2 and make it to the final

• Indian forward Mohammad Naeem was the top goal-scorer at the 1985 Asia Cup in Dhaka with 12 goals
  
  
• The 2007 Asia Cup saw most teams participating – 11 teams

• Sandeep Michael was named ‘Most Promising Player’ of the 2003 Asia Cup

• Thailand have the dubious distinction of conceding most goals by any nation in any single Asia Cup event- they leaked 67 goals in the 2007 edition

• The least number of goals in Asia Cup came during the 1989 edition in New Delhi when only 62 goals were scored
  
  

• India have beaten Pakistan thrice in eight Asia Cup meetings

• Pakistan failed to make a podium finish for the first time at the 2007 Asia Cup

• India failed to make a podium finish for the first time in the 2009 Asia Cup when they finished fifth

• Three nations – Iran (1985), Chinese Taipei (2013) and Kazakhstan (1994) have played in the Asia Cup only once

• Bangladesh has conceded most goals in Asia Cup – 228 goals across all ten editions

• Both India and Pakistan hold the record of scoring most goals in a single Asia Cup event – Pakistan 51 goals in 1982 edition and India 51 goals in 2007 edition

• India’s 9-1 win over Japan in 1985 Asia Cup is the biggest victory margin in an Asia Cup semifinal

• A total of 16 nations have featured in all Asia Cups so far

• India have scored 263 goals across 10 editions of Asia Cup