Table of Contents
Result:
India ended their match against South Korea in the Super Four stage of the Asia Cup Hockey 2025 with a 2-2 draw. Having won three consecutive games in Pool A during the group stage, India emerged as the group champion and progressed to the Super Four. The top two teams based on points from the Super Four will qualify for the final, making each match exceedingly significant. However, India struggled in their opening match by missing several scoring chances.
Quality forwards like Abhishek, Sukhjit, Mandeep, and Dilpreet each missed multiple scoring opportunities. Despite India’s success with penalty corners during the group stage, it was the exceptional drag flickers, Harmanpreet and Jugraj, who were unable to convert from penalty corners in today’s game.
The start of the match was delayed:
The match was originally scheduled to kick off at 7:30 PM but was delayed by heavy rainfall, starting instead around 8:20 PM. Despite the late start due to the weather, the crowd remained enthusiastic.
First-half highlights:
First-quarter highlights:
India struck first in the eighth minute of the match during the first quarter, with Hardik Singh executing a brilliant field goal after receiving a pass from Sukhjeet and making a solo run.
South Korea adopted a counter-attacking style against India’s attacking play. In the 12th minute, Jugraj Singh committed a foul on a Korean player in the ‘D’, which led to a penalty stroke for South Korea following a video referral. Jihun Yang successfully converted the penalty stroke. Shortly after, Mandeep Singh intentionally stepped on the ball outside the ‘D’, resulting in a penalty corner for South Korea. Hyeonhong Kim converted the penalty corner, putting South Korea ahead 2-1 by the end of the first quarter.
Second-quarter highlights:
India maintained an aggressive offensive throughout the second quarter, creating numerous scoring chances but failing to convert any. Thus, the first half concluded with the score at India 1, South Korea 2.
Second-half highlights:
Third-quarter highlights:
The pattern continued in the third quarter, where India played aggressively yet remained unable to score, still trailing 1-2 at the end of that quarter.
Fourth-quarter highlights:
Finally, in the fourth quarter, India found the back of the net. In the 52nd minute, Mandeep Singh scored a field goal after receiving the ball right in front of the goalpost. India sustained their attacking momentum, but the match concluded in a 2-2 draw.
With this draw, India must perform well in their remaining two matches in the Super Four stage to secure a place in the final.