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India vs South Korea: Defending champions India defeated Korea 3-1 to register their fourth consecutive win at the Hero Asian Champions Trophy hockey tournament on Thursday. India secured their fourth consecutive victory in the Asian Champions Trophy with a 3-1 win over South Korea, further solidifying their position for a semi-final berth. India showcased their dominance in the first half, with Araijeet Singh Hundal opening the scoring and captain Harmanpreet Singh adding a second goal, marking his 200th career goal. South Korea rallied in the second quarter, regaining possession and scoring through a penalty corner. Harmanpreet netted his second goal in the third quarter and India effectively managed the game in the final period.
The win follows India impressive 8-1 triumph over Malaysia just a day earlier. Although South Korea, who were in second place, put up a notable fight, India performance was far superior. Prior to this match, India had defeated Japan 5-1 and China 3-0. In contrast, South Korea began their campaign with a 5-5 draw against Japan, followed by a 2-2 draw with Pakistan and a 3-2 victory over China in their previous game.
Asian Champions Trophy: India seal semis Berth with Malaysia Rout
Young Raj Kumar Pal delivered a remarkable performance with a hat-trick as defending champions India secured their semi-final spot in the Hero Asian Champions Trophy with an emphatic 8-1 victory over Malaysia on Wednesday. Raj Kumar, who scored in the 3rd, 25th and 33rd minutes, was pivotal in the win. He was well-supported by his teammates: Araijeet Singh Hundal netted twice (6th and 39th minutes), Jugraj Singh scored in the 7th minute, captain Harmanpreet Singh added a goal in the 22nd minute and Uttam Singh contributed in the 40th minute. Malaysia lone goal came from Akhimullah Anuar in the 34th minute.
The victory follows India earlier successes in the tournament, including a 3-0 win over China and a 5-1 triumph against Japan. With these performances, India leads the standings with nine points. The six-team tournament operates on a round-robin format, with the top four teams advancing to the semi-finals on September 16, followed by the final on Tuesday.
India’s next match is against Korea on Thursday, and they will conclude their group stage with a clash against arch-rivals Pakistan on Saturday. Pakistan boosted their semi-final chances with a 2-1 win over Japan in the day earlier fixture. Despite Malaysia strong form, including a hard-fought final against India in the 2023 Asian Champions Trophy where India overturned a 1-3 deficit at halftime to win 4-3, India dominated from the outset. They started with relentless attacks, scoring five field goals and converting three penalty corners through Jugraj, Harmanpreet and Uttam.
Raj Kumar opening goal showcased his exceptional stickwork, breaking through Malaysia defense effortlessly. Araijeet Singh soon followed with a goal and Jugraj Singh extended the lead with a powerful drag-flick. Malaysia, trailing by three goals, responded aggressively in the second quarter but could not breach India’s resilient defense.
India dominance continued with Harmanpreet Singh converting a penalty corner in the 22nd minute, demonstrating his skill with a classic drag-flick. Raj Kumar then added his second goal, assisted by Araijeet and Uttam, giving India a commanding 5-0 lead at halftime.
After the break, Raj Kumar completed his hat-trick with a goal from a rebound, following an initial strike by vice-captain Vivek Sagar Prasad that was saved by the Malaysian goalkeeper. This performance underscores India’s formidable form and sets a strong precedent as they approach the crucial stages of the tournament.
India vs South Korea LIVE Score, Asian Champions Trophy 2024:
The Indian men hockey team has had a great ride so far in the Asian Champions Trophy in China winning three matches and will now look to make it four in four with a victory over South Korea on Thursday. This is the first tournament for the defending champions after winning bronze at the Paris Olympics 2024. They began their tournament by routing hosts China 3-0 in their first match before dismantling Japan 5-1 in the second encounter. The Indian men’s hockey team most comprehensive win came on Wednesday as they defeated Malaysia 8-1.
The best thing for India at the Asian Champions Trophy 2024 has been the plethora of goals that have come from the open play with Sukhjeet Singh, Abhishek Nain and Raj Kumar Pal making a mark. The defending has been equally good from the team which is being led by the regular captain Harmanpreet Singh and they have only conceded two goals so far despite playing some very positive hockey.
South Korea get ready to take on India after beating China 3-2 in their last match. The Koreans are currently second in the group, behind India, with a win and two draws.
India Squad for Hockey ACT 2024
- Goalkeepers: Krishan Bahadur Pathak, Suraj Karkera
- Defenders: Jarmanpreet Singh, Amit Rohidas, Harmanpreet Singh (C), Jugraj Singh, Sanjay, Sumit
- Midfielders: Raj Kumar Pal, Nilakanta Sharma, Vivek Sagar Prasad (VC), Manpreet Singh, Mohammed Raheel Mouseen Forwards: Abhishek, Sukhjeet Singh, Araijeet Singh Hundal, Uttam Singh, Gurjot Singh
Korea Squad for Hockey Asian Champions Trophy 2024
Hyeonhong Kim, Jihun Yang, Cheo leon Park, Jung Hoo Kim, Jung jun Lee, Jong Suk Bae, Seyong Oh, Yoon ho Kong, Soung Min Bae, Jaehan Kim, Hyeseung Lee, Jigwang Hyun, Hyun ho Jung, Jae won Sim, Sung hyun Kim, Geon woo Park, Daewon Oh, Gang san Lee
Trophy Hockey 2024 Highlights: Korea put up commendable fight
Korea, who registered a fantastic 3-2 win against hosts China to climb up to second spot in the points table, were not going to let India have it easy. After shaking off the nerves in the first quarter, Korea bounced back with tactical defense curbing Indian attackers from keeping the ball in possession. In the last seven minutes of the second quarter, they punished India with interjections and counterattacks, eventually setting up a PC in the 30th minute of the match. Jihun Yang, who had scored a goal in their win against China yesterday, came up with a fine PC execution to narrow India lead to 2-1.
The third quarter saw both India and Korea trade equal number of PCs with each earning four. the only India could successfully put one in the net with Harman Preet coming up with a powerful drag flick to fetch his team a strong 3-1 lead. India played this quarter patiently and constructed a compact attack to stay ahead of a tactful Korea. Meanwhile, Krishan Pathak held sway at the goalpost to keep Korea from scoring.
India recover in final quarter
The final quarter saw India do well as they dominated with ball possession and resorted to half-press that led to potential counterattacks. Though Korea made ambitious attempts to score, Suraj Karkera did well in the goalpost to ensure India don’t concede a goal. India will take on arch-nemesis Pakistan in their next encounter.
Player of the Match, Suraj Karkera of India said, “Korea is no easy team to beat but our mantra today was to defend well. In terms of pressure, there is none as Coach has given us freedom to play our game. We have trained with Sreejesh over the years and though it is a big shoes to fill in, we try to do our best.