IPOH, March 31 — South Korea came back from being a goal down to level the score at 1-1 in regulation time before stunning India 4-2 in a shootout in the final of the Sultan Azlan Shah Cup Hockey Tournament at the Azlan Shah Stadium here yesterday.
South Korean skipper Lee Namyong emerged as the hero for his team when he scored the decisive fourth goal past India goalkeeper Krishna Pathak in the shootout.
All the South Korean players deserve a pat on the back, especially goalkeeper Lim Jaehyeong for thwarting the waves of Indian attacks, including saving four penalty corner attempts and two more attempts in the shootout.
With the win, South Korea have now won the Cup three times, including in 1996 and 2010.
In today’s exciting final, India shot ahead after just nine minutes when Simranjeet Singh flicked the ball into the net off a goalmouth melee.
South Korea were then awarded a penalty stroke in the 47th minute and Jang Jonghyun stepped up to duly convert it to make it 1-1, which was how it stayed until the end of regulation time.
In the shootout, Ji Woo Cheon, Lee Jungjun, Jung Manjae and Namyong scored for South Korea while Birendra Lakra and Varun Kumar netted for India.
The Sultan of Perak Sultan Nazrin Shah, who watched the final, presented the trophy to South Korea.
In an earlier match, Malaysia finished third after defeating Canada 4-2 while Japan ended up fifth after trouncing Poland 6-1.
Roll of honour:
Champions: South Korea
Runners-up: India
Third: Malaysia
Best Player in the final: Jang Jonghyun (South Korea)
Best goalkeeper: Kim Jaehyeong (South Korea)
Top scorer: Jang Jonghyun (7) (South Korea) and Mandeep Singh (7) (India)
Best Player of Tournament: Surender Kumar (India)
Fairplay (Raja Ashman Shah Cup): Japan — Bernama
