Honours even after a tough fight

Dhaka, October 18

Striker Gurjant Singh saved the day with a last-minute equaliser as India eked out a fighting 1-1 draw against South Korea in their first Super 4 stage match of the men’s Asia Cup hockey tournament here today.

Unbeaten India have looked the most convincing team in the tournament so far but the dangerous and defensive Koreans came tantalisingly close to registering a stunning win over the Manpreet Singh-led side.

Despite enjoying the lion’s share of possession and having better scoring chances, the in-form Indian strikers found it difficult to breach the resolute Korean defence.

After a barren first half, Jungjun Lee (41st minute) gave Korea the lead before Gurjant scored (60th) just seconds before the final hooter to salvage a point for the Indians.

It was always expected to be a contest between India’s forwardline and Korea’s defence and it panned out that way, with the Koreans defending in numbers and relying on counterattacks.

Akashdeep Singh missed a sitter for India in the first quarter after he fluffed a shot from close range with only the Korean goalkeeper to beat.

Seconds before the end of the first quarter, India secured the only penalty corner of the match but it was wasted as they went for a variation. The second quarter saw a neck-and-neck tussle, with both the sides not giving an inch.

Six minutes into the third quarter, India were in for a rude shock when Lee scored, chancing upon a lapse from Varun Kumar and Sumit in the circle. Lee, who should have been marked better by Sumit, received a harmless looking pass that Varun failed to intercept, and Lee deftly flicked the ball over the goalkeeper.

Four minutes later, Satbir Singh made a brilliant run before setting up SV Sunil with a fine ball, but the striker failed to get a good touch.

Trailing in the tournament for the first time, India attacked all out in the fourth and final quarter but the Koreans played smart hockey and defended in numbers. They did not give the Indian strikers any space to create chances. Four minutes from the final hooter, India withdrew goalkeeper Suraj Karkera for an extra out-field player and the move paid rich dividends.

The Indians went full throttle and the move paid off when Gurjant scored from a rebound after his initial shot was saved by the Korean goalkeeper. The goal led to wild celebrations on the sideline, with new chief coach Sjoerd Marijne doing high-fives with the players in the dugout.

The Dutchman witnessed his first close contest with the Indian men’s team, experiencing the anxiety that accompanies the high-profile and high-pressure job.

Marijne’s reaction was an indication of the significance of the goal, and more importantly the one point. Earlier in the day, the in-form Malaysia defeated Pakistan 3-2 in another Super 4 encounter.

India will play Malaysia tomorrow, before facing off with Pakistan in their final Super 4s match. The top two teams from the Super 4 stage will qualify for the final, to be held on Sunday. — PTI