Pakistan exceed expectations, India falter and Korea complete Asia double

By Syed Khalid Mahmood

South Korea proved themselves the best team of the continent by regaining the Asia Cup hockey title at the Kuantan Hockey Stadium in Malaysia. Having claimed the gold medal in the Asian Games in Doha a couple of years ago they now have completed a rare double. They have also secured their place in the 2010 World Cup to be staged in India.

The Koreans were made to work extremely hard to earn a 1-0 victory over three-time champions Pakistan in the final with the winning goal coming just five minutes before the scheduled closing time of 70 minutes. Obviously the match would have gone into extra time, had that goal not be scored or for that matter if Pakistan equalized in the last five minutes which they couldn’t.

Not surprisingly the goal that settled the issue was scored by drag flick specialist and the man of the moment Kim Byung-hoon, who also finished as the tournament’s top scorer with six goals. 
The Player of the Tournament award, however, was clinched by his teammate You Hyo-sik while another Korean, Hon Eun-seong, was declared Man-of-the-Match in the final.

The tournament brought glories for the Koreans and their coach Cho Myung-ju could not have desired a better start to his stint. 

“Our team's superior attacking in the second half proved decisive. We were confident and expected a close match. The win will spur us for further success in the coming year," the new Korean coach remarked at the end of the final.

The Pakistan coach, Shahid Ali Khan, reckoned that his team's defeat coincided with their best performance of the tournament.

"We had good control of the match and ample chances to score. We are on the right track and we have improved with each match. We will only get better from here," he was quoted as saying.

There was no cause of disappointment for Pakistan as far as the end result was concerned. They in fact exceeded expectations by having made it to the final after having overpowered teams like India and Malaysia and holding China, who eventually claimed the bronze medal, to a draw.

While the forwards came up with awesome display the performance of penalty corner specialist, Sohail Abbas, left a lot to be desired. The world record holder for the highest number of goals in international matches could score only one goal in the tournament and failed to capitalise on the three penalties that Pakistan earned in the final.

The defeat in the final now forces Pakistan to compete in the World Cup qualifiers to be held in November with China, Malaysia and Japan also in the fray.
India, having failed to qualify for the last year’s Olympic Games in Beijing, are assured of a spot in the next year’s World Cup by virtue of being of the hosts but they had yet another forgettable outing.

The defending champions were not even able to make it to the semifinals after failing to deliver in the league matches against Pakistan and China. They still have a long way to go to regain their position as one of the top teams in the hockey arena.

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Pakistan enter Asia Cup with high hopes

By Syed Khalid Mahmood

Pakistan, who ruled the world of hockey for a long time, start their campaign in the Asia Cup with a game against the super fit China, having improved in leaps and bounds in the recent past.

History, however, is on Pakistan’s side, having annexed the trophy in the first three editions of the continental competition in 1982, 1985 and 1989. They are being billed as one of the favourites again even though they have had a rough ride in the hockey arena during the last few years.

The enigmatic Pakistan side had plunged into their lowest ebb by failing to win any medal in the last edition of the Asia Cup held in Chennai in 2007 where hosts India, South Korea and Malaysia had shared glories.

This tournament provides an opportunity to revive the country's hockey fortunes as Pakistan would be spared of appearing in the qualifying event for the next year’s World Cup if they win the title here.

Pakistan will be relying heavily on its veteran quartet of custodian Salman Akbar, full back Sohail Abbas, half back Waseem Ahmed and forward Rehan Butt who are staging a comeback in the team after enjoying rich experience in Dutch league.

With the return of the vastly experienced players and in the presence of talented forwards Tariq Aziz, Akhtar, Waqas Sharif and Waqas Akbar, Pakistan look the most formidable side to have entered the eight-nation tournament.

Pakistan, having struggled in the recent past as they finished a disappointing eighth in the Beijing Olympics last August, would be needed to get into their grooves to regain their lost glories in the field of hockey.

Pakistan, who finished a poor fourth in the five-nation contest in Ipoh last month, must come up with improved performance here to build the momentum for the major events ahead. The return of the seasoned campaigners boosts their chances and they are expected to rise to the occasion for the revival of national sport in the country.

Pakistan have been drawn in the tough Pool B with arch-rivals and defending champions India, China and Bangladesh while the Pool A contains South Korea, Japan, Sri Lanka and hosts Malaysia.
 
Pakistan must win at least a couple of league matches in their bid to advance in semifinal knock-out stage that indeed is their first target. Then they would be just two more wins away from the title.

On the other hand, the eight-time Olympic champions India, who failed to qualify for the 2008 Olympic Games staged in Beijing, would also be aspiring to make amends by retaining the Asia Cup they won at home a couple of years ago.

The Indians, however, are on a high of late after having finished runners-up in four-nation Punjab Gold Cup and then the title win in the Azlan Shah after a lapse of 13 years. 

Besides Pakistan and India, South Korea and Malaysia can also fancy their chances of clinching the trophy with China being the dark horses. Unlike the past an Indo-Pak final, however, could not be guaranteed in the prevailing circumstances with the other teams also possessing the credentials go the distance.

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Asia Cup gold vital for Indian hockey revival

By Syed Khalid Mahmood

Once the superpowers in the field of hockey, the Indians have endured a very lean over patch over the past few decades and the eight-time champions were not even able to qualify for the 2008 Olympic Games staged in Beijing, China.

The country, having pocketed the Olympic gold in 1928, 1932, 1936, 1948, 1952, 1956, 1964 and 1980, rather stunningly couldn’t force its way in the line-up of 2008. The hockey authorities in India had their work cut out since then and by the look of things they have been successful in regrouping.

India are high on confidence after their Azlan Shah triumph and they are realistically aiming for the gold medal in the Asia Cup, starting in the Malaysian town of Kuantan on May 9. They are the defending champions in the Asia Cup, having annexed the title at home in 2007 after overpowering South Korea in the final. 

The Indians are on a comeback trail after having finished runners-up in four-nation Punjab Gold Cup and then the title win in the Azlan Shah after a lapse of 13 years. Their officials reckon that winning the gold in Asia Cup will complete the first phase of their revival plans for Indian hockey. 

“We are successfully working towards our plan to revive Indian hockey. Asia Cup victory is crucial to that plan. We are the defending champions and we will be satisfied with nothing less than the gold. The team has worked very hard in past couple of months and the boys are upbeat about their performance,” the Indian coach Harendra Singh was quoted as saying.

“Everything has gone according to the plan of reaching among the top six nations by the end of this year. Asia Cup gold will complete the first phase of our revival plan. The competition will be tough. We have to be consistent throughout the tournament. We will take one match at a time,” he added.

“We focussed on our weaknesses during the practice and we are confident that we will eradicate them in Asia Cup. If we win the Asia Cup, we will get a push in the world ranking and that will be our motivation. There will be a long break after the Asia Cup, so we want to give our best and return with the trophy,” Harendra Singh said.

The Indian coach agreed that Asia Cup will be a bigger test for the team because the field in Azlan Shah was not so strong with top European nations staying away. 

Although he emphasized that the team had worked hard in their camp training in Bhopal but it remains to be seen if they show improvement in blocking goals in the closing stages of the match. It has been the weakness of the past Indian teams too, conceding late goals to undo their own good work.

India have placed in the tougher of two groups alongside Pakistan, China and Bangladesh and they could be tested in accomplishing their task of qualifying for the semifinals. The other group comprises of South Korea, Japan, Malaysia and Sri Lanka. 

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