Hockey Asian Champions Trophy: India Beat Korea, Seal Semi-final Spot
In hockey, India defeated South Korea 3-2 in a thrilling match to keep their hold on first place in the Asian Champions Trophy.
India is in first place in the standings with 10 points after three victories and one draw.
Nilakanta Sharma’s goal in the sixth minute gave India the lead. India’s happiness was short-lived, however, as Kim Sunghyun drove the ball past home side goalkeeper Krishan Bahadur Pathak to give the Koreans an equalizer just six minutes later. In the 23rd minute, Harmanpreet Singh scored off a penalty corner to give India the advantage once more. After half time , Korea squandered a PC earned through video referral, even as Amit Rohidas was green-carded.
With his goal in the 33rd minute, Mandeep Singh strengthened India’s advantage in the game and made it 3-1.
A video referral again allowed Korea to gain a PC, which resulted in it earning three more straight PCs. However, Jang failed to convert either of them.
In the 58th minute of the game, Jihun Yang of Korea converted the penalty corner with a drag flick into the bottom right corner. Korea made every effort to find an equalizer. In the final two minutes of the game, they even substituted 11 field players for their goalkeeper. India, on the other hand, handled their nerves better and prevailed 3-2.
Even before the action got underway at the Mayor Radhakrishnan Hockey Stadium, India had sealed their place in the semi-finals, following Japan’s loss to Malaysia earlier in the day.
Both teams had begun the match on a fast-paced note, playing mainly possession-based hockey.
