Riding on Gurjant Singh’s 59th minute goal, Indian men’s hockey team managed to escape a defeat and salvaged a 1-1 draw against defending champions Korea in their first Super 4s match at the Asia Cup in Dhaka on Wednesday.
Jungjun Lee had earned Korea the 1-0 lead in the 41st minute.
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India started the game patiently, rotating the ball between themselves waiting for an opening into the Korean defence. Despite the several circle penetrations, India earned their first PC in the 14th minute, though the opportunity went amiss.
In the second quarter, the Korean defence continued to test the Indian forwards as they allowed little room for penetration. Meanwhile, the Indian defence stayed resolute in their circle to deny Korea a lead.
In the 41st minute, Jungjun Lee stunned Indian goalkeeper Akash Chikte to unleash a shot on the goal.
Down to the final quarter with time ticking away, India attacked Korea with full force but the opponents stayed resilient in their defence.
In the dying minutes of the game, striker Akashdeep took a shot on goal but it bounced off only to find Gurjant close in on the goal that finished the job for India.
The match ended in a 1-1 draw with both teams splitting points.
India will take on Malaysia in their next Super 4s encounter on October 19.
