New Delhi, Sept. 26 -- Under a relentless downpour at the Gifu Prefectural Green Stadium in Kakamigahara, the Indian men's hockey team weathered both - the rain and a fiercely resilient Japanese side to secure a 2-0 victory, booking their spot in the Asian Games semi-finals on Saturday.

Earning their fourth consecutive win in Pool A, the match tested India's physical and tactical limits. Most importantly, the triumph delivered India's first clean sheet of the tournament, answering critics after the defence had conceded in all three of their previous outings against Indonesia, Sri Lanka and South Korea - teams ranked way below No.8 India.

From the opening whistle, the match was an end-to-end spectacle. Backed by the home crowd, Japan dep...