A resolute China denied multiple scoring chances to Korea to earn its first point in the Asian Champions Trophy 2023 with a 1-1 draw at the Mayor Radhakrishnan Stadium here on Sunday.
China bore no semblance to the side that had leaked 12 goals in its first two games, playing deep in its own half and sticking to its defensive approach right till the end.
Korea set the tempo early in the first quarter.
China, however, remained untroubled, deploying man-markers on Cheoleon Park and Sunghyun Kim, cutting off the outlets for Korea’s midfield. For the little time it enjoyed possession, it was asked to negotiate with Korea’s high-press.
Korea made the first foray forward – Jonghyun Jang scooped an aerial into the Chinese circle, Hyeseung Lee trapped it on the right side, took two strides to his right and launched a shot. But China’s goalkeeper Caiyu Wang thwarted it on time.
Its second circle entry came with Lee penetrating from the right but his cut back to Woo Cheon Ji was nabbed away with a last-ditch tackle.
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The breakthrough finally came in the 18th minute from a penalty corner when veteran Jang squeezed his drag flick between Wang’s legs, sending the Korean supporters, the majority in the stadium, into a loud cheer.
For China, Qijun Chen fed multiple passes into the circle from the right, only to see them go untouched. The closest chance was a flash across the face of the goal which missed a diving Wenhui E by a whisker.
A similar story unfolded in the second half with Korea controlling the ball. Kim nearly doubled its advantage when a deflection landed his way at the edge of the circle. He turned and took a jab at goal only for Wang to palm it away.
China, however, grew into the game in the third period, making attempts at circle penetration through the right flank.
It was rewarded for its patience in the 43rd minute when Dongquan Pan deflected a slap shot into the circle to the far post and Gao tapped it past the keeper to make it all square.
Pan nearly put China ahead when he attempted to deflect Weijiang Zhu’s swipe into the circle into the goal but missed.
Having let China back into the contest, Korea switched gears looking for a winner. In the dying seconds of the third period, JungHoo Kim ventured into the circle from the right and took aim at the goal, only to be blocked by Wang.
The fourth quarter started with Ji attempting a reverse-stick hit at goal but missed the target. Moments later, Juyoung Lee’s poke into the circle slipped past two forwards.
Korea won a penalty corner in the 54th minute but Wang, yet again, could not be breached. It had its final short-corner two minutes from the final hooter.
Going for a variation, Jang dragged his flick to a diving Kim at the right post, only to see him send it off target.
Match Report
Pakistan draws 3-3 against Japan
Rana Abdul of Pakistan celebrating with team mates after scoring a goal against Japan. | Photo Credit: VEDHAN M / THE HINDU
The stars finally aligned for drag flicker Muhammad Sufyan Khan who struck twice to pull Pakistan to a 3-3 draw against Japan and salvage a point at the Mayor Radhakrishnan Stadium here on Sunday.
Sufyan, who had faced flak for his poor penalty corner conversion in Pakistan’s first two games, made amends in the third, practically keeping the Green Shirts in the hunt for a place in the semifinals.
Pakistan opened its account courtesy of Muhammad Khan’s entry into the circle. Though Khan lost the ball, goalkeeper Takashi Yoshikawa’s clearance went straight to Abdul Rana who slapped it home with a horizontal stick.
Japan reverted in the 13th minute. Yuma Nagai, Japan’s most potent forward by a distance, aimed a tomahawk from the left flank at the far post where an unmarked Seren Tanaka guided it home.
In the 21st minute, Kentaro Fukuda conceded a sloppy penalty corner by not offering five yards to Arshad Liaqat from a free hit near the circle. Japan escaped, though, as Sufyan missed a short corner for the umpteenth time.
He turned the tide around four minutes later as his drag flick found a way between Yoshikawa’s legs to put Pakistan ahead.
Two minutes from the half-time break, Adbul Shahid launched a lightning-paced counter that nearly doubled Pakistan’s advantage. The forward ran with the ball across three quarters of the pitch, squared it to Rana on his left who in turn threaded it back to Shahid in the circle. The No. 9’s poke at the ball beat the onrushing Yoshikawa but went wide off the left post.
Japan missed a chance with four seconds left in the half when an aerial ball caught the Pakistan defence napping. Takuma Niwa got under it, turned and took a shot. Thankfully for Pakistan, the strike was straight at Hussain.
The Japan onslaught began in the second half. It won three back-to-back short corners in the 36th minute. Ahtisham Aslam did his job as first rusher on the first two while Hussain saved the third to keep Pakistan ahead.
A minute later, though, Japan made the breakthrough as Niwa went unchecked into the circle through the right. He pushed the ball to Ryosei Kato who sounded the board with a tomahawk.
Japan earned two more penalty corners in the third quarter, and the second, in the 45th minute, handed the advantage to Samurai Japan. To his credit, Hussain got in the way of both corners from Ken Nagayoshi. But he was not quick enough to stop Masaki Ohashi who pounced on the rebound off his save.
In eight minutes, Japan turned a 1-2 deficit to a 3-2 lead.
The Green Shirts did not relent without a fight, and in the final period it was their turn to pick penalty corner chances. The first landed three minutes into the quarter but an over complicated variation saw them falter.
In the 55th minute, Sufyan made no mistake as he fired a drag flick into the roof of the goal, to bail his side out.
Result: Pakistan 3 (Abdul Rana 9’, Muhammad Sufyan Khan 25’, 55’) drew Japan 3 (Seren Tanaka 13’, Ryosei Kato 37’, Masaki Ohashi 45’)
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