BEIJING, Sept. 1 (Xinhua) -- China drew 2-2 with Japan in the group stage finale and progressed to the last four at the 2025 Men's Hockey Asia Cup held in Rajgir, India on Monday.

The eight participating teams are divided into two groups of four, with the top two finishers of each group advancing.

China kicked off the campaign with a 4-3 defeat to host India, before bouncing back strongly for a 13-1 rout of Kazakhstan.

Facing Japan, which also had a 1-1 win-loss record ahead of Monday's duel, China went ahead in the seventh minute through Lin Changliang, and Zhang Xiaojia doubled the advantage in the 25th minute.

Japan clawed back from there, with two goals from Kazumasa Matsumoto in the 28th and 51st minutes leveling the score.

With both teams standing at 2-1, China overpowered Japan on goal difference at 11-6 to secure the second place in Group A, thus advancing into the Super 4s along with group leader India, who had a 100 percent winning record from the first two matches.

The Super 4s phase will also adopt a round-robin format, before the top two finishers vying for the title, while the third- and fourth-placed teams will contend for the bronze medal.

China's best result in the continental tournament is third place, which it has achieved twice in 1982 and 2009.

The 2025 event will conclude on Sunday. ■