Defending champions India would look for an outright win against South Korea in their final Super 4 round-robin league match to book their place in the final of the Asia Cup men's hockey tournament in Jakarta on Tuesday (May 31). India had almost clinched a spot in the title clash on Sunday before Razie Rahim turned out to be Malaysia’s saviour with a hat-trick in an enthralling 3-3 draw in their second ‘Super 4’ encounter.
India had earlier defeated Japan 2-1 in their first match on Saturday. As the Super 4’s table stands, South Korea with a goal difference of +2 (5-3) are on top with India (GD) of +1 (5-4) are placed second. Japan with two defeats are out of the reckoning while Malaysia (GD) 0 (5-5) have an outside chance if they can beat Japan by a comprehensive margin (minimum 2 goals) provided India and South Korea match ends in a draw.
Asia Cup (Men's Hockey):
— India_AllSports (@India_AllSports) May 31, 2022
India will take on take on South Korea later today in their final match of Super 4 stage.
Live on Star Sports network & hotstar | 1700 hrs IST.
India at 2nd spot currently behind South Korea. Top 2 teams will qualify for Final. pic.twitter.com/GDddCMbS73
But come Tuesday, the Indians would look to avoid the permutations and combinations with an outright win over the Koreans. However, it would be easier said than done as the Koreans looked a completely different side in the Suer 4s, having drawn 2-2 against Malaysia and then beating Japan 3-1.
The Indians too upped their game by leaps and bounds after their first two pool games. India not only achieved an impossible task of beating hosts Indonesia by more than 15-goal margin in their last pool match to qualify for the Super 4s but also eked out a close 2-1 win over Japan, who defeated them 2-5 in the preliminary stages.
Against Malaysia on Sunday, the Indians made valiant fightback and came from two goals down to lead 3-2 in the final quarter before Rahim converted a penalty corner from the final hooter to snatch the win from India's hands, which could have sealed their place in the summit clash.
Match Details
India vs South Korea in Asia Cup 2022 Super 4s hockey match will take place on May 31 (Tuesday), 2022.
India vs South Korea in Asia Cup 2022 Super 4s hockey match will take place at Gelora Bung Karno Sports Complex, Gelora, Central Jakarta, Indonesia.
India vs South Korea in Asia Cup 2022 Super 4s hockey match starts at 5 PM IST.
India vs South Korea in Asia Cup 2022 Super 4s hockey match will be broadcast live on Star Sports First, Star Sports Select 2 SD+HD. Live Streaming of India vs Malaysia Hockey will be available on Disney+ Hotstar.
In the preliminary round, four teams in each pool will play each other once, then the top two teams progress to Super 4s. In Super 4s, four teams will play each other once. The top teams will then play the final. The top three teams will qualify for the Men’s FIH Hockey World Cup 2023 in India.
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