Three goals in the final quarter ensured India would maintain its winning run at the top of the table in the Asian Champions Trophy hockey but the 4-1 victory against Japan on Friday was not the cakewalk the scoreline would suggest. India also advanced to the semifinals with a third straight win.

The defending champion was stretched and tested to the limit by a team ranked eight places below in the world. It was a display of defensive discipline and positive play from the Japanese who never backed off despite India’s best efforts.

The domination seen from the host in the previous two outings was nowhere to be seen, either in the numbers or on the field, for the first 45 minutes. Japan’s resilience made the match exciting. It was the first real test for India, which appeared in a hurry for large periods in contrast to Japan’s patient approach.

A perfectly-positioned Abhishek in front of the goal slammed in Sukhjeet’s pass from the backline to go ahead in the 11th minute. Shota Yamada drew level four minute later through a penalty stroke that Suraj Karkera had no answer to. It came off Japan’s fourth penalty corner after a goalbound shot bounced off Sanjay’s shoulder. The score remained that way for the next half hour before India upped the ante, increasing the pace and going all out.

“The talk at half-time was just to go all out on the press, keep pushing Japan back and attack,” both coach Craig Fulton and Abhishek revealed.

The urgency wasn’t surprising; Japan’s dominance in the first half was — four PCs to India’s none, six circle entries to four and just one shot on target for the home side.

The Japanese plan was simple — stick to the basics, draw the Indians in and then push through the gaps with long passes to cut turnover chances and not concede PCs. India had just one PC in the entire match and two cancelled after review. Harmanpreet was finally called in to restore the lead in the 47th minute and open the floodgates. It was the wake-up call that India needed, though.

Korea, meanwhile, struck twice in as many minutes soon after resumption to overturn China’s one-goal lead, then held on to register its first win of the tournament. Malaysia thrashed Bangladesh 6-1 to remain unbeaten and join India in the semifinals.

The results: India 4 (Abhishek 11, 51, Harmanpreet 47-pc, Vishnukant Singh 56) bt Japan 1 (Shota Yamada 15-ps); Malaysia 6 (Abu Kamal Azrai 14, 22-pc, Akhimullah Anuar 29-pc, Azimuddin Kamaruddin 32-pc, Shello Silverius 33, Aiman Rozemi 50-pc) bt Bangladesh 1 (Amirul Islam 26-pc); Korea 2 (Kim Yong Bok 35, Kim Jae Ho 36) bt China 1 (Chen Chongcong 8-ps).