Five-time champions India edged South Korea 1-0 in a tightly contested match in the 31st Sultan Azlan Shah Cup at the Sultan Azlan Shah Hockey Stadium in Ipoh on Sunday (Nov 23) tonight which ended past midnight.
Mohammed Raheel scored the crucial field goal in the 15th minute. India, led by several players from the ‘A’ team, will now face Belgium today (Nov 24). The Belgians held the Canadians to a 1-1 draw in an earlier match.
Both India and Korea had four penalty corner opportunities throughout the match.
The start of the India-Korea was initially scheduled at 4.00 pm but was rescheduled and started at 10.15pm (last match for the night) following a downpour earlier.
Since the 1988 Seoul Olympic Games, records show the contests between the two nations have always been close. The Indians defeated Korea 4-1 in the 2025 Asia Cup final at the Rajgir Sports Complex in Bihar. In the Super 4s Pool stage both teams eked out a 2-2 draw.
The last time Korea defeated India was in the final of the 2019 Sultan Azlan Shah Cup. The match ended in a 1-1 draw in regulation time, before the Koreans secured a 4-2 victory in the shootouts.
INDIA: Craig Fulton (Coach)
I think it was a long-lasting day with the rain. But I am glad we got things done. Always challenging in the rain. Overall, I am happy with the way the players played, and obviously, we have to look at improving our performance. We created a lot of opportunities. Both teams had a lot of chances, but it wasn’t a high-scoring game. We look forward to an improved performance in our next game against Belgium.
SOUTH KOREA: Taeseok Min (Coach)
It was a tough match. Although we are not so happy with the score we could have scored. It was our first match today and the rain did change our momentum in the game. The long wait was a tiring moment. Nevertheless, we aim to give a better performance in our next match against New Zealand (4.00pm).
