The two top teams in the 2023 Asian Champions Trophy faced off on Monday and India came away deserving winner with a 3-2 victory against Korea, the game as close as the scoreline suggests with the host pushed all the way by the defending champion.
It was a see-saw game with India’s performance mirroring its position in the game right through the contest. India took control of the game, opening up the field, switching flanks constantly to keep moving up and piercing the Korean defence. It was rewarded immediately, a fluent exchange between Sumit and Sukhjeet Singh resulting in a well-placed Nilakanta Sharma tapping in the opener right in the middle of the goal in the sixth minute.
But the calmness and structure from the previous outing was missing as the erratic Indian forwards kept conceding turnovers and hard-fought possession. The Koreans took full advantage of it, making counterattacks every time they had the ball. One such move saw Sunghyun Kim catch the Indian defence napping and shooting home in the 12th minute.
