Azlan Shah Hockey :Korea defeats Malaysia to stay in hunt
Azlan Shah Hockey :Korea defeats Malaysia to stay in hunt Hopes of the host Malaysia to make the podium suffered a set back when it went down fighting to Korea 1-2 in the 28th Azlan Shah Hockey Tournament at Ipoh on Wednesday. The defeat, second for Malaysia, puts Korea at par with the pool leaders India. Both India and Korea have three wins each and a drawn game against each other while Malaysia, like Canada, have two wins each. Also Read: India seeks visa-free access for pilgrims to Kartarpur shrine Earlier in the day India trounced Canada 7-3 to move to the top of the table with 10 points. While Korea after its 2-1 win over Malaysia has also lodged 10 points but it is far behind India in goal difference. While India has scored 14 goals and conceded six, Korea has scored 12 and conceded seven. Now India has to play bottom of the table Poland and Korea has to take on Japan in their respective last league encounters. Lee Namyong and Jang Jonghyun, two consistent scorers for Korea, did what was expected of them. They both scored one goal each to give Korea 2-0 lead before Malaysia shot back through Rahim Razie in the 46th minute to make the score 1-2. The Malaysia-Korea encounter was a treat to watch as both the teams played superb hockey, maintaining the pace throughout. If the Koreans won, it was primarily because of their better ball control and slight edge in speed. Also Read: Punjab, Haryana and Chandigarh make winning start in India Sub Junior Hockey Championship Malaysians did try hard in the second half but could go beyond reducing the margin midway in the second half. The Koreans must be given credit for keeping the defence packed to disallow any damage by fast moving Malaysian forward line.
