The Indian men's hockey team faced a challenging start in the Super 4s stage of the Asia Cup 2025, drawing 2-2 with South Korea in a match filled with dramatic twists and turns. The game, held at the Rajgir Hockey Stadium in Bihar, saw India initially take the lead, only to be pegged back by a resilient South Korean side. Despite a late equalizer, India's performance was marred by missed opportunities and a failure to capitalize on penalty corners.
The match was preceded by a heavy downpour, causing a slight delay. The weather had been a talking point for nearly a week, with many hoping for rain to improve playing conditions. Ironically, while the weather did improve, the Indian team's performance didn't quite follow suit.
India started brightly, with Hardik Singh scoring a stunning opening goal in the 8th minute. Sukhjeet Singh won the ball in midfield and passed to Hardik, who then embarked on a solo run, skillfully evading several Korean defenders before calmly slotting the ball past the goalkeeper. However, India's lead was short-lived. South Korea responded swiftly with two goals in quick succession. Jihun Yang converted a penalty stroke in the 12th minute after a foul by Jugraj Singh, and Hyeonhong Kim scored from a penalty corner just two minutes later, putting South Korea ahead.
The vociferous home crowd at the Bihar Sports University Hockey Stadium were silenced as South Korea took the lead. India then struggled to regain their composure, with the Korean defense proving difficult to breach. The Indian side created opportunities in the second and third quarters, but the Korean goalkeeper and defenders were in inspired form. Abhishek, who had scored four goals in the previous match against Kazakhstan, had a particularly quiet game, and Sukhjeet Singh also missed a crucial chance.
India's head coach, Craig Fulton, acknowledged that the forwards were wasteful. Despite creating numerous chances, the team failed to convert them into goals. India also failed to convert any of their five penalty corners, which proved costly.
As the game wore on, the pressure mounted on the Indian team. In the 41st minute, Manpreet Singh played an incisive pass to Sukhjeet Singh, but his shot went narrowly wide. Abhishek also had two chances but couldn't find the target. Finally, in the 53rd minute, Mandeep Singh latched onto a pass from Sukhjeet Singh and tucked the ball into the net to level the score. The crowd erupted in relief as India equalized.
Both teams had opportunities to score a late winner, but neither could capitalize. Amit Rohidas had a chance from a penalty corner but missed the target. Despite sustained pressure from India, the Korean defense held firm, and the match ended in a 2-2 draw.
The draw meant that both India and South Korea earned a point each in the Super 4s table. While India maintained their unbeaten run in the tournament, it was a disappointing result given their dominance in possession and the number of chances they created. India had previously defeated China 4-3, Japan 3-2 and Kazakhstan 15-0 in the group stage.
Looking ahead, India will need to address their finishing and penalty corner conversion rates if they are to progress to the final. Their next match is against Malaysia, who are currently the only team with a perfect record in the Super 4s after beating China 2-0. South Korea will face China.
