Ipoh: India’s perennial problem of conceding goals at the fag end of a match hurt them again as Korea equalised in the final minute for a 1-1 draw in the Sultan Azlan Shah Cup hockey tournament here Sunday.
India took the lead in the 28th minute through Mandeep Singh and looked set to earn their second consecutive win of the six-team tournament, but a defensive error led to Jonghyun Jang scoring from a penalty corner just 22 seconds from the final hooter. The match was stopped in the fourth quarter due to heavy rains with around eight minutes left in the match. India had defeated Japan 2-0 in their opening match on Saturday. India made an attacking start with midfielder Vivek Sagar Prasad creating space inside the striking circle within the first minute but the Korean defenders held strong to avert an early goal. The Koreans immediately launched a counter attack, entering India’s circle, but defender Surender Kumar tackled well to clear the ball. India got two more scoring opportunities but failed to convert them. A quick-thinking Mandeep Singh gave India their first penalty corner in the 10th minute with a good tackle in the baseline. The opportunity was, however, wasted due to poor execution as both sides could not score in the first quarter. India won their second penalty corner in the initial minutes of the second quarter but the drag-flick was saved by the Korean goalkeeper. India will play Malaysia on March 26 (PTI)
