Chennai: The Indian men’s hockey team beat South Korea 3-2 in a tight match in the Asian Champions Trophy on August 7 at the Mayor Radhakrishnan Stadium, solidifying their position at the top of the points table and guaranteeing them a semifinal spot.
After the win, Mandeep Singh, who scored a goal in the match, said that the boys defended well and the team needed to win this match. India’s goals came from midfielder Nilakanta Sharma (6′), captain Harmanpreet Singh (23′), and Mandeep Singh (33′), whereas Korea’s goals came from Sunghyun Kim (12′) and Jihun Yang (58′).
While speaking to ANI, Mandeep Singh said, ”I would say that it turned out to be a good match. It was a tough one. The score was 3-2. The boys defended well from behind. We had to win this match so we are happy.”
On August 2, the eagerly anticipated India vs. Pakistan game will take place. The 2023 Asian Champions Trophy round-robin match will be India’s last game.
Mandeep Singh said, ”We are excited ahead of the match against Pakistan because it is a challenging match. The crowd will also enjoy it and for us, we will give our 200 per cent. We will play our game as per our structure. The plan would be to create more PC (penalty corner) chances.”
He further stated, ”Definitely because before Asian Games a tournament like this was important. This will help us understand our game better. It will be good training for us. Before the Asian Games, we will know more about our opponents.”
India, which is currently ranked fourth in men’s hockey by the FIH, got off to a strong start. In the sixth minute, deft stickwork by Sukhjeet Singh and a subsequent excellent pass enabled Nilakanta Sharma to score the game’s first goal.
Nineteenth-ranked Korea answered six minutes later. Sunghyun Kim scored the equaliser by bursting into the free space inside the circle and defeating Indian custodian Krishan Bahadur Pathak. Despite Korea’s regular circle penetrations, the Indian hockey squad committed a large number of attacks. When Mandeep Singh connected with a Korean defender’s foot in the 22nd minute, India was awarded their first penalty corner.
Harmanpreet Singh’s initial drag-flick attempt was stopped on the line, but on his second attempt, he managed to get past the Korean defenders and make it 2-1. Harmanpreet Singh scored his fifth goal of the match with this effort.
In the second minute of the second half, after Amit Rohidas had failed to intercept Harmanpreet Singh’s ball in the circle, Korea was awarded their first penalty corner of the game. Korea, though, was unable to make a difference.
Mandeep Singh fired a low shot on the reverse to make it 3-1 as soon as India countered. In the 47th minute, India had an opportunity to increase their lead, but Harmanpreet Singh missed a penalty shot. In the following ten minutes, Korea gained as many as eight penalty corners, but courageous defence by Indian rushers Amit Rohidas and Manpreet Singh denied the reigning champions a chance to capitalise.
India kept its two-goal lead until the final siren.
After defeating the People’s Republic of China 7-2 in their opening match, India was tied 1-1 by Japan in the earlier games. In the third game, India triumphed 5-0 over Malaysia. (With Inputs ANI)
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