A nail-biting fight was witnessed on Day Two of the Asian Champions Trophy as Korea and Pakistan went head-to-head against each other at the Moqi Hockey Training Base in Hulunbuir, China. The two teams fought to the core as their match ended in a fighting 2-2 draw till the final whistle.
Three goals were scored in the last minute of the match, within seconds of each other. Pakistan’s Hannan Shahid had a great late surge with two quick goals to give Pakistan a 2-1 lead. However, Korea responded with a field goal just before the final whistle and leveled the score. The goals for Korea came from Jiwang Hyun 16′ and Sunghyun Kim 60′.
The match opened with Pakistan creating several good opportunities. Young striker Hannan Shahid, supported by Ahmad Ajaz in his 100th international match, spearheaded the Pakistani attack. They created seven circle entries in the opening minutes with good passing and intelligent spacing. But their shots missed the target. In the dying seconds of the first quarter, Hannan skillfully penetrated the circle. And took a well-placed shot, which Korean goalie Jaehan Kim crucially saved.
During the second quarter, Korea adjusted with better ball retention, thus limiting circle penetrations, but scoring few goals. Jiwang Hyun received a well-timed aerial from Hyeseung Lee and slotted Korea ahead 1-0. The goal forced Pakistan to fight from behind, often failing to get an equalizer.
In the third quarter, too, the frustration continued for Pakistan, as they created several opportunities but failed to score. Korean defense was very solid, with inch-perfect man-to-man marking. In the final quarter, they made entries into the circle more than 23 times but failed to convert into goals. One goal was saved on the goal-line, while their appeal for a penalty stroke in the 55th minute was turned down by the goal line
Until the dying moments of the match, Pakistani fans had given up hope. Enter Hannan Shahid. Down 0-1 until the 60-minute mark, Shahid scored two goals in quick succession-first equalizing the score before giving Pakistan a 2-1 lead. A green card to Sufyan Khan soon after proved costly as Korea’s Sunghyun Kim slotted home a sure winner with just four seconds remaining on the clock.
Man of the Match, Hannan Shahid, had mixed feelings: “We are glad we could earn one point from this effort and not lose three points,” he said, as quoted by Hockey India. Gotta say it’s disappointing not to end up on the winning side. We got off to a sloppy start, gave away too many errors, and got too many cards early in the game. So now, we will go back, and analyze the performance to come back stronger against Japan in our next match.
The match showcased some exciting hockey from both teams, revealing skill and determination. This result reflects the competitive nature of the tournament to come.
ANI
