Defending champions India put on a masterful performance to beat Asian Champions South Korea 3-2 in the Sultan Azlan Shah Cup in Malaysia Sunday. The Indians went to the top of the standings with seven points after three matches while the Koreans remained on four points.
The first half was evenly matched with both sides scoring a goal each. The Indians took the lead in the 10th minute when mid-fielder Arjun Halappa scored a field goal following a quick break down the middle.
But the Koreans hit back three minutes later with Nam Hyun-Woo scoring his fourth goal of the tournament from the penalty corner. The second half saw the Indians increase their pace and in the 45th minute they went ahead with a Tushar Khandker field goal. Shivendra Singh added the third in the 60th minute to put them firmly in command.
The Koreans gained a penalty corner in the 70th minute but Hyun-Woo's effort in gaining a second goal did not stop India from clinching the match.
India's assistant coach Harinder Singh said the win was due to the players following their game plan to the letter and ensuring they made fewer mistakes in defence.
Shivendra was named man-of-the-match but credit also went to goalkeeper Bharat Chetri, who took over from Sreejesh Raveendran for the match. The Indians play world champions Australia Monday while the Koreans will meet China.
Pakistan scored their first win of the tournament when they defeated China 6-2. The win took them to fourth place in the standings and kept alive their slim hopes of making the final.
Comments
Comments are closed.