Korea the team to beat

06/08/2003

MALAYSIA will open their Asia Cup campaign against South Korea on Sept 21,
and the prospect of winning the Cup is almost out of the question.
The Koreans have beaten Malaysia twice this year and on both occasions
they did not have their full squad.
The first was in the Azlan Shah Cup in Ipoh in March where Malaysia lost
2-0 and in the just concluded Champions Challenge in South Africa, the
Koreans improved their performance with a clinical 5-2 win.
And the Koreans, who used both the tournaments to expose nine
youngsters, will parade their full squad for the Asia Cup, as their aim
this year is to lift the Cup and qualify for the 2006 World Cup in
Germany.
Korean coach Jeon Jay Hong is optimistic they will achieve their target.
"The Azlan Shah Cup and the Champions Challenge were warm-up matches to
give a chance to several youngsters, but the Asia Cup is our main target.
We will have the best players available for the tournament in Malaysia as
we aim to qualify early for the World Cup," said Jeon.
South Korea are the strongest opponents in Malaysia's group, and the
Malaysian Hockey Federation (MHF) made sure that the hosts get the maximum
benefit of playing the Koreans first before meeting Japan and Hong Kong.
South Korea, by lifting the Asian Games gold medal in Busan, have
qualified for the Athens Olympics, and the early indications are that only
two teams will be able to stop them from qualifying for the World Cup -
Pakistan and India.
Both the Indian continent teams are in Group B, and will clash for the
second time this year. The first will be in the Champions Trophy this
month.
Although Malaysia only have a very slim chance of lifting the Asia Cup
title, they still look good to finish fourth and qualify for the World Cup
Qualifiers.
The four sure bets for the semi-finals in the Asia Cup are Malaysia,
South Korea from Group A and India and Pakistan from Group B.
Group A: South Korea, Japan, Malaysia, Hong Kong
Group B: India, Pakistan, China, Bangladesh.
(END)