Rajgir (Bihar): The victory march of the Indian men’s hockey team in the Men’s Asia Cup Rajgir 2025 was halted as Korea held them to a 2-2 draw in their opening Super 4s game. Hardik Singh (8') and Mandeep Singh (53') were the goal scorers for India, while Jihun Yang (12') and Hyeon Hong Kim (14') scored for Korea as India had to settle for one point after topping the league table with three wins in as many matches.
The clash began after a slight delay due to rain as India made a bright start in the wet conditions with several circle entries and positive attacks on goal. But in the end, India, the highest-ranked team in the competition, failed to put it across the Koreans, who had finished behind Malaysia in Pool B.
Meanwhile, in another Super 4 stage match, Malaysia remained perfect in the tournament, registering their fourth win in a row with a 2-0 verdict against China. In a match for the 5th-6th place, Japan defeated Chinese Taipei 2-0 with Shinohara Ryosuke scoring both the goals.
India made a bright start by winning two early penalty corners in the second and seventh minutes, respectively; however, they failed to threaten the keeper. In the eighth minute, Sukhjeet Singh won the ball in the midfield and played it to Hardik Singh (8'), who made an incredible solo run down the middle, beating the Korean backline and ending his move with a simple finish past the goalkeeper to open the scoring.
Korea retaliated well with two successive goals to gain an advantage in the contest. In the 12th minute, Korea were awarded a penalty stroke due to a foul by Jugraj Singh inside the circle. Jihun Yang (12') stepped up and found the top right corner with a powerful shot to score the equalizer. Two minutes later, Korea won a penalty corner, which was successfully converted by Hyeon Hong Kim's (14') drag flick to claim the lead.
The second quarter was a cagey affair between the two teams, with India relentlessly attacking the goal, but Korea were resilient with their defence. India were piling on the pressure but couldn't work their way around Korea's tight man-marking. In the 22nd minute, Captain Harmanpreet Singh played a long pass to find Jarmanpreet Singh on the right flank, but his angular shot towards the near post was met with a strong save by the Korean goalkeeper.
