PREVIEW
The battle lines are drawn for the penultimate fight for the Asian Champions Trophy as India, Pakistan, China and Korea prepare for the semifinals scheduled at Moqi Hockey Training Base in Hulunbuir, China on Monday.
Pakistan will face off against the host side in the first semifinal of the day while defending champion India will then take on Korea.
In the opening match on Monday, Malaysia will play Japan for the 5th and 6th place.
India is the only unbeaten team in the tournament. Having defeated China 3-0, Japan 5-1, Malaysia 8-1, Korea 3-1 and Pakistan 2-1, the reigning Asian Games Gold medallist is upbeat ahead of the Korea clash.
“We came into this tournament with very little rest or preparations after our Olympic campaign. Despite that, I am happy with how the team has done to progress into the semifinal stage. We had a good training session on Sunday evening and the mood in the team is quite upbeat. Korea is a tough team, they defend very well and can counter attack fast and skillfully,” expressed India captain Harmanpreet Singh.
Speaking about India’s previous encounter, against Pakistan, the Harmanpreet said that the team has convincingly shaken off the nerves of playing against the arch-rival.
“I think there was a bit of nerves in the match against Pakistan. After their goal, there was a bit of panic especially with some of the youngsters in the squad playing against them for the first time. While the focus tomorrow will be on ourselves, it will be interesting to watch how Pakistan to do against China,” added the ace dragflicker who scored a double in India’s win against Pakistan.
Korea, on the other hand, will come into the match with confidence from a brilliant outing against Malaysia where it scored on the final hooter to draw 3-3 and push Malaysia out of contention. It has, so far only lost (1-3) to India in the tournament.
It began with a high-scoring 5-5 draw against Japan, drew 2-2 against Pakistan, beat China 3-2, and drew 3-3 against Malaysia.
Head-to-head record-
India leads the head-to-head record 38-11 against South Korea, with 12 matches ending in draws.
When was the last time India played South Korea at the Asian Champions Trophy?
The last time India played South Korea at the Asian Champions Trophy, the defending champions defeated the Koreans 3-1. This was in the group stage match of the tournament.
When will India take on South Korea in the second semifinal of the Asian Champions Trophy 2024?
India will face South Korea at the Asian Champions Trophy 2024 semifinal on September 16 at 3:30PM IST.
LIVE STREAMING INFO
Where to watch India take on South Korea in the second semifinal of the Asian Champions Trophy 2024?
India vs South Korea Asian Champions Trophy 2024 semifinal will be broadcast on the Sony Sports Ten 1 and Ten 1 HD channels. The match can be livestreamed on the SonyLIV app.
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