The Sri Lanka Men’s Hockey lineup managed to secure their hope of qualifying to Asia Cup 2025 with a stunning 2 – 1 win over the hosts, Indonesia. This is the first win for the Lankan side after having a draw and a loss at the initial games of the Men’s AHF Cup 2025 in Jakarta, Indonesia.
Sri Lanka is in Pool B alongside the current champions Bangladesh, Thailand, Kazakhstan and Indonesia, while Pool A consists of Hong Kong, Oman, Singapore, Chinese Taipei, Uzbekistan.
It was a must win game for Sri Lanka and at the early stage, while both teams displayed a fast game with quick passes. Within five minutes of the first quarter, the hosts put all the pressure on Sri Lanka by scoring the first goal of the match. Sri Lankan Skipper Tharindu Kumara Hendeniya made a mistake by moving too far from the goal to make a save by fully opening up the goal. Indonesian striker Prastiyo Alfandy made full use of the easy chance that was gifted.
At the brink of Half Time, the Sri Lankan team repeatedly attacked the Indonesian territory and they finally managed to equalise the game through a patient and well-timed goal scored by Lakshan Batuwita. The goal was triggered by another player, who made an excellent yardage by penetrating through the defence and making a diving pass by spotting a weakened area in Indonesian defence.
The third quarter went without troubling the scorers, and in the final quarter, Sri Lanka managed to score the match-winning goal as they earned a penalty corner. Here, the Lankans deceived Indonesia by avoiding a straight hit and went for a short pass. Karunamunige Damian, who was adjudged the Man of the Match, managed to deliver a successful hit at goal just inside of the scoring circle.
In the first game, Sri Lanka faced a shocking defeat as they lost to Kazakhstan with a score of 2 – 3 in a close battle. Dhammika Ranasinghe and Sudusinghe scored for Sri Lanka.
In the second game, Sri Lanka confronted Thailand. The game went to the wire and ended in a draw as both teams scored a goal each. Suresh Ratnayake was the successful striker for Sri Lanka.
