Kakamigahara, May 31 -- The Indian U-18 Men's Hockey Team suffered a 2-4 defeat against hosts Japan in their U-18 Asia Cup 2026 Pool A fixture in Kakamigahara, Japan, on Sunday.

Ashish Tani Purti (25') and Captain Ketan Kushwaha (32') scored the two goals for India, while Captain Yoshioka Mahiro (15'), Fujiwara Yuma (20'), Yasui Kengo (34') and Takahashi Aone (42') were the goal scorers for Japan, according to a press release.

It was a tightly contested first quarter, with both sides fighting for possession in midfield. However, Japan broke the deadlock in the 15th minute. The home team executed a well-worked variation as Watanabe Atsuhiro passed the ball back to the injector, Captain Yoshioka Mahiro (15'), who scored with a diving fini...