South Korea edge past India 3-2 in Azlan Shah Hockey Cup – Hockey Update
South Korea, the Number six squad in the world rankings edged past India by a single point, 3-2 in the second match of the 20th Sultan Azlan Shah Hockey Cup played on Thursday, May 5 at the Sultan Azlan Shah Hockey Stadium in Ipoh,
Malaysia.
Contrary to expectations, it was an astonishing performance from the Korean side, which displayed an impressive performance in the second half of play. With the victory, the Korean team not only earned three points but also took revenge of the third place
play-off game loss in the Asian Games held last year in China.
Both teams opened the contest in quite a mature way and showed impressive ball handling. It was the Indian side that held the ball under their possession in the opening minutes of the game. The Indian players started an offensive game in a bid to make a
go-ahead goal.
The Korean side had the first short corner in the 7th minute of the game but to no avail, as the striker failed to convert the chance into a successful goal. After saving the ball, the Indian side stiffened their defence and started an attacking
game.
In the 20th minute of the match, India earned a short corner and Diwikar Ram unleashed a powerful shot at the Korean goal to put India ahead on the scoreboard. As four minutes passed, major objections broke out when the referee rejected the goal
of the Korean team. The team attempted to protest over the decision but the referee awarded green cards to Jang Jong Hyun and Lee Seung II.
In the 27th minute of the game, Danish Mujaba managed another score from the field and doubled the tally.
The players from Korea were not ready to give up, as Cho Suk Hoon of Korea in the 31st minute struck a powerful hit at the Indian goal to reduce the lead down to a single point. The first half of play was concluded with India holding a narrow
one goal lead, 2-1.
With six minutes into the second set of play, Yoon Sung Hoon had it all even at two-all by availing the deflecting shot.
Korea was awarded a penalty stroke in the 56th minute when Vikram Pillay exchanged harsh words with opposing team player. Jang Jong Hyun struck a classic shot at the corner of the goal giving Korea a single goal lead. The Koreans showed a stiff
defence in the remaining time period and walked off the field with a 3-2 victory.
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