Asian Games Hockey
	Asian Games Hockey - India's Match Reports Arun Arnaw Jabalpur, Madhya Pradesh
India Fail to Defend Hockey Title

India Lose 3-4 to Korea in Hockey Final

India put up a great fight back before going down to host South Korea 3-4 in a highly dramatic and eventful men's hockey final. After lagging behind 0-3 at one stage of the game, India rose to the occasion and not only leveled the score, but also threatened to hand the home team a humiliating defeat. But it did not come to pass, and South Korea romped home victorious with a late goal.

India who got the better of Pakistan in a high voltage semi-final match a day before, took the field with a defensive attitude. They succeeded in denying the Koreans from scoring for nearly 22 minutes, despite the Koreans breaking through the so-called tight Indian defence many times.

In the 22nd minute, Korean captain Kang put his team ahead scoring a spectacular goal from the top of the D. He flicked the ball so fiercely from a difficult position that it took the entire Indian defence and goalkeeper Devesh Chauhan by total surprise. Eight minutes later, the Koreans found the target once again. This time Yeo Woon Kon scored with a neat and accurate drag-flick off their second penalty corner.

Down 0-2 at the half time India conceded one more goal in the 8th minute of the second half. South Korean striker Sung Seong Tae was the man responsible for their third goal. He took possession of the ball inside the 25 yard line, dodged past deep defender Kanwalpreet Singh and beat off-form goal keeper Chauhan with his accurate placement.

At this time the South Koreans were in a commanding position, with their forwards making continuous raids into the Indian territory. But in the next 10 minutes or so, what happened was quite amazing. The Indians, who were struggling to have a crack on the South Korean goal, scored three unanswered goals to draw level and infuse new life into the game.

Jugraj Singh opened the scoring for India in the 52nd minute off a penalty stroke. Gagan Ajeet Singh scored India's second goal in the 56th minute. Dhanraj Pillai paved the way for this goal. After taking possession of the ball outside the striking circle, he dribbled past a host of Korean defenders and forwarded the ball to unmarked Gagan who guided the ball into the net.

Three minutes later, Jugraj Singh netted the equalizer. His drag-flick worked correctly for the first time in this tournament. As the ball entered the net, the whole Indian camp errupted with joy. The Indian viewers started praying for a historic win. But it did not happen. Yoo Woon Kon netted the match winner just two minutes before the long whistle. A defensive lapse from Jugraj Singh earned South Korea a penalty corner in the 68th minute, which sealed India's fate.

India essentially lost the match in the first half, with the heavy footed forwards, and erratic tackling and wayward ball distribution by the midfielders. Goalkeeper Devesh Chauhan, who had an outstanding semi-final against Pakistan, was completely off colour in the final. Conceding last minute goals is a mystery of Indian hockey. Too often in the past has India lost or drawn critical matches on account of it. India must find the remedy for this disease as soon as possible.

Malaysia beat Pakistan 5-3 in tie breaker in the bronze medal match. The match ended in 1-1 draw after the scheduled and 15 minute extra-time. It was for the first time in the history of Asian Games that Pakistan had to return home empty handed from the hockey arena.

India Struggle to Draw With Korea 1-1

Though South Korea has proved to be a tough opponent for India in recent years, in the annals of Asian Games it does not appear so. India and South Korea have met 10 times in the Asian Games hockey competition so far, with India winning 7, drawing 2, and losing only 1. The details are as follows.

The India - Korea pool match ended in 1-1 draw and both teams collected 7 points after the completion of the league phase. With a better goal differential, South Korea topped the group and India had to content with the second position.

India conceded the first goal of the match as early as in the 3rd minute, when Jeon Jong Ha converted an indirect penalty corner. This goal was a classic example of a penalty corner dummy. The striker passed on the ball to Jeon Jong Ha, who picked it up, positioned himself and flicked the ball into the far left corner of the net. But while the ball was traveling from the striker to Jong Ha, two other Korean players wielded their stick in such a way as if they were taking the shot. This tactic worked perfectly in confusing the Indian defence, and resulted in a goal for Korea.

Both the teams played defensive hockey in the first half. Indians seemed to be extremely erratic in their judgment, through-passing, interceptions and stick-work. It was just a continuation of the display exhibited in their first two outings.

India picked up the pace of he game in the second half, and got 3 penalty corners within 10 minutes of play. Dhanraj Pillai, who was heavily marked by the rivals, led the Indian resurgence and inspired Deepak Thakur and Gagan Ajit Singh to get into the action. India notched up the equaliser in the 45th minute, when in a goalmouth melee, Daljeet Singh Dhillon brought off the equaliser by deflecting the ball high into the net. India could not add any more to the tally despite dominating the Koreans for most of the second half, and had to settle for a draw..

The tie against Korea will most probably pit India against its arch rival Pakistan in the semi-finals. It will be the second time that the two neighbouring countries will meet in the semi-finals of the Asian Games. The earlier occasion was at the Seoul Asian Games in 1986, which Pakistan won 3-1. India will be looking to reverse that verdict in this do-or-die clash with Pakistan.

India beat Japan 3-0

India played sluggish hockey in the first half but managed to register a comfortable 3-0 victory over Japan, thus erasing the memories of the 2-2 draw in their World Cup opener in February. With two victories in as many matches, India is assured of a semi-final berth. India and Japan have now met each other 12 times in the Asian Games, and it was the 12th victory for India.

India began the match cautiously, and failed to impress in the earlier part of the match. India surged ahead in the 11th minute when striker Deepak Thakur scored a spectacular goal from the top of the D. He received a timely pass from the right flank inside the D but a Japanese defender caught him on the wrong foot. Deepak corrected his position in a flash and put the ball into the Japanese goal. At the half time India was leading 1-0.

In the second half India took the field with a changed strategy. Indian forward trio of veteran Dhanraj Pillai, Gagan Ajeet Singh and Deepak Thakur played far better and tested the Japanese defence on a number of occasions. Displaying a glimpse of his younger days, Dhanraj increased the lead in the 46th minute. Nine minutes later, Daljeet Singh scored another field goal to round off the Indian tally.

Thereafter Japan dominated the Indian 25-yard area for nearly 10 minute and earned three penalty corners in succession but were thwarted by the Indian defenders. In fact, the Japanese played a tactical game and gave torrid time to the Indians many times during the game.

The young Indian goalkeeper Bharat Chetri was in his elements. He rose to the occasion many a time with his very good anticipation. Captain Dileep Tirkey too played a splendid game and took control of the dangerously looking Japanese attackers on many occasions. Indian midfielders also performed satisfactorily, with Viren Rasquinha and Vikram Pillai particularly outstanding.

India plays hosts South Korea after a day's rest on October 4. The outcome of the match will decide the group leader. If India does not want to meet Pakistan in the semifinal, then it has to win its concluding fixture.

If the performance of the Indian team in the first two outings is any indication, there is a lot of room for improvement. The forwards seem weary and are struggling to find their touch. The penalty corner conversion rate is another area of worry. Jugraj and Dileep both could not do justice to their reputation thus far. India has even missed a penalty stroke against Hong Kong. Only the defenders have done their job up to satisfaction, but their real test will come against the fast and speedy South Koreans. Hope India will learn from earlier mistakes and rise to the occasion in the crucial match against Korea.

India beat Hong Kong 4-1 in Opener

India's record against Hong Kong in their Asian Games meetings so far is as follows: