"A game of two halves": Team India reflects on 2-2 draw against South Korea in Asia Cup

Rajgir (Bihar) [India], September 4 (ANI): Following his team's draw against South Korea in their Super 4s fixture in the Men's Hockey Asia Cup, Indian skipper Harmanpreet Singh pointed out that the team did not play well in the first half, while they did really well in the second half. He also spoke on how converting opportunities into goals still remains vital to the side.

The Indian Men's Hockey Team and Korea played out a 2-2 draw in their opening Super 4s game at the Men's Asia Cup, Rajgir, Bihar 2025. Hardik Singh (8') and Mandeep Singh (53') were the goal scorers for India, while Jihun Yang (12') and Hyeonhong Kim (14') scored for Korea.

Speaking to the media after the match, captain Harmanpreet said that the upcoming matches will be tough as well.

"Korea is a nice team. We did not have the best start, but we played really well in the third and fourth quarters. We got a lot of opportunities. I think how to convert that has always been important for us. But still, it is good that we kept the draw at least because we were falling behind," he said.

The skipper said that while rain caused some difficulties for both teams, it is "not an excuse".

"I think it's the same for both teams. How do we manage this? But we did well. We kept the ball in position. Most of our attacks, and I think the circle entries are ours. But of course, the outcome is always important. I think we are ready to give our best performance. Our plan is to stay where we are. We are following what is being told. We should believe in what we are doing. And we will definitely be successful," he said.

Mandeep Singh, who scored the leveller to make the scoreline 2-2, said to the media that the team made mistakes in the first half. The pacing and structure were good, but the finishing was not.

"The ball that should have gone in the net did not go. But we still made a lot of chances. We have to keep ourselves mentally strong. Every team comes to do their best. If we stay mentally strong, we will give our best and win. It is a big learning point for us," he added.

Hardik Singh, the vice-captain, said that his performance is not important, whether it is good or bad, as long as the team wins; the focus must be on final execution.

On trailing behind in the match, Hardik said that it was a big learning point for the team, which they could face in the finals or Super 4s.

"We do not want to underestimate any team. We want to win the final. Main motive is to focus on the next two matches, win the final and qualify for the World Cup," he added.

Manpreet Singh, the half-back, also said that the team is "disappointed" with the result.

"We did not start well. We conceded two goals. But we played well in the second half. We came back and made the score 2-2. But we did not avail the chances we got, which is why the match did not go well. We got a lot of chances. The shoot did not go into the net, we did have one-on-one chances with the goalkeeper. Had we converted those, we could have won," he added.

Head coach Craig Fulton termed it "a game of two halves".

"I think we did well in the first half. We were not so clinical. We made two mistakes. They came out of nothing at the same time. But in the second quarter and the second half, we did really well. I think they (Korea) play very deep. They expect to play on the counter. They throw a lot of aerials. It is difficult to break them down. But we created enough to win the game. They are not an easy defence to break down. They also play a certain way. We created enough. We just have to look at it and make sure we do the job tomorrow," he added.

The match began after a slight delay due to rain, as India made a bright start in the wet conditions with a number of circle entries and positive attacks on goal. They even won two early Penalty Corners in the second and seventh minute respectively; however, they failed to threaten the keeper.

In the eighth minute, Sukhjeet Singh won the ball in the midfield and played it to Hardik Singh (8') who made an incredible solo run down the middle, beating the Korean backline and ending his move with a simple finish past the goalkeeper to open the scoring. Korea retaliated well with two successive goals to gain an advantage in the contest. In the 12th minute, Korea were awarded a Penalty Stroke due to a foul by Jugraj Singh inside the circle. Jihun Yang (12') stepped up and found the top right corner with a powerful shot to score the equaliser. Two minutes later, Korea won a Penalty Corner, which was successfully converted by Hyeonhong Kim's (14') dragflick to claim the lead.

The second quarter was a cagey affair between the two teams, with India relentlessly attacking the goal, but Korea were resilient with their defence. India was piling on the pressure but couldn't work their way around Korea's tight man-marking. In the 22nd minute, captain Harmanpreet Singh played a long pass to find Jarmanpreet Singh on the right flank, but his angular shot towards the near post was met with a strong save by the Korean goalkeeper.

The third quarter too ended in a stalemate with Korea holding on to the slim lead. India was doing well in creating opportunities inside the circle; however, it couldn't find the net. In the 41st minute, Manpreet Singh played an incisive pass to Sukhjeet Singh on the far post with only the goalkeeper to beat, but his shot went narrowly wide off target. Moments later, Abhishek had two chances to score, but both his shots went wide as well.

In the last play of the third quarter, India won a Penalty Corner after a long wait, but Harmanpreet Singh's dragflick was saved by a Korean defender on the line. India won another Penalty Corner in the 49th minute, which was delivered to Jugraj Singh this time, but he couldn't manage to beat the first rusher.

Seconds later, Mandeep Singh was on the prowl as he cut into the circle from the right wing and fired a strong back-handed shot, but the Korean goalkeeper made another brilliant save. In the 53rd minute, Sukhjeet Singh played the perfect pass through the Korean defence to Mandeep Singh (53') as he tucked the ball into an empty net to level the game again.

This was followed by Penalty Corners for both India and Korea, but they couldn't manage to find the winning goal. In the 56th minute Abhishek created a chance for Sukhjeet Singh with a lobbed pass but his shot went whiskers away from the post as both sides settled for a draw after an extremely competitive four quarters.

India will next play Malaysia in the Super 4s Pool stage on Thursday. (ANI)

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