Pakistan defeat South Korea by 4-2 in second game of the 20th Azlan Shah Hockey Cup
Pakistan made it two in a row, as they powered South Korea with a convincing win of 4-2 in a stunning comeback from one goal down in the second match of the 20th Sultan Azlan Shah Hockey Cup, on Friday May 06, in Ipoh, Malaysia.
South Korea had the upper hand in the opening minutes of the match, as the ball mostly remained under their sticks. The Korean team, which is currently standing sixth in the world ranking, managed to take the ball into the Pakistani circle in the very early
minutes of the first half. Kim Young Jin while standing alone inside the circle received a pass from Jang Jong Hyun, but failed to capitalise it into a successful goal.
In the 6th minute of the first half, the Greenshirts revved up and took the ball under their control. Muhammad Umar Bhutta failed to intercept a pass from left flank, Muhammad Zubair. The Korean defence-line stood firm despite several attacks
from the opponent side.
The two squads were attempting to break the scoreless-situation when the Korean strikers made a lengthy run through Pakistan’s circle. At last, Korea earned their first short-corner in the 12th minute of the match. Hyun Hye-Sung converted the
penalty-corner in the 13th minute to take lead in the game.
The Greenshirts earned a couple of penalty corners consecutively in the 18th and 19th minutes, but to no avail. Firstly, Muhammad Imran failed to cash it, while the second was missed in the hands of Sohail Abbas.
Apart from the missing shots, Pakistan continued their strikes. Rehan Butt, discovered a gap in the 21st minute and unleashed a reverse-shot past Korean goalie Lee Myung Ho to tie the knots at 1-1.
An end-to-end play was observed in the remaining time period, as the first half concluded at one-all deadlock.
The Korean team in the second half continued dominating the field, when they earned another short-corner in the 46th minute. Hyun Hye-Sung converted the chance to put his team ahead on the score-board with a single point lead, 2-1.
The Greenshirts in the last ten minutes of the second half were the dominant side and had the Korean squad in sixes and sevens as they hit the stumbling Korean defence-line with relative no difficulty.
Pakistan earned another short-corner in the 63rd minute of the match. This time the attempt from world’s highest goal scorer, Sohail Abbas, was successful and he levelled the score at 2-2.
In the very next minute, Abdul Haseem Khan managed to take ball away and shot his first goal of the day with giving a single goal lead to Pakistan. With seconds left on the clock, Waqas Akbar rushed towards the Korean defensive circle and chipped in another
goal to close out the game with Pakistan’s 4-2 win.
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