Sunday, November 21, 2010

Now, to stop India's march

DEFENDING champion South Korea hammered Singapore 12-1 in the field hockey competition at Asian Games on Sunday to set up a semifinal against Pakistan.
Se Jong-ho scored three field goals and Nam Hyun-woo was on target as many times off short corners as the big victory helped South Korea to top Pool A on better goal difference.
Malaysia — which also finished with 10 points with a 4-2 victory over China — will take on India in the other semifinal.
South Korea had a plus-21 goal difference as compared to Malaysia’s plus-15 after its four pool matches.
In the other matches, India had to fight back through two short corner goals by its star striker Sandeep Singh to beat Japan 3-2.
Japan’s Hiroki Sakamoto had stunned the Indian defense with a 21st-minute field goal before captain Rajpal Singh leveled four minutes from halftime.
Sakamoto pulled one back with another brilliant field attempt in the 63rd minute, but India managed to hang on to its narrow lead in the last seven minutes.
India led Pool B with 12 points after registering victories over archrival Pakistan, Bangladesh and Hong Kong.
Pakistan (9 points) finished behind India with a 6-1 win over Bangladesh on Sunday.
Ace penalty corner striker Sohail Abbas, who missed a crucial penalty corner against India in a 3-2 loss on Saturday, scored twice on Sunday while Shakeel Abbasi and Mohammad Imran also scored two goals each.

Malaysia in semis

Malaysia 4 China 2 (Full-time)
Malaysia play India, Korea play Pakistan in Semis.

Malaysia 4 (Muhammad Rahim 2, Faisal Saari 17, Hafifihafiz Hanafi 41, Azlan Misron 66) China 2 (Liu Yixian 13, Na Yubo 36) H-t: 2-1.


Pakistan, Korea cruise into semis

DEFENDING champions South Korea and Pakistan cruised into the semi-finals of the Asian Games men’s field hockey with emphatic wins on Sunday.
Pakistan bounced back after the 3-2 loss to India a day earlier to outclass Bangladesh 6-1, while the Koreans whipped Singapore 12-1 in their last league matches.
India, who overcame a fighting Japan 3-2, topped group B with four straight wins and will play either Malaysia and China in Tuesday’s second semi-final.
Malaysia need a draw against the hosts later on Sunday to qualify as the second team from group A behind South Korea.
Pakistan face the Koreans in the first semi-final, also scheduled for Tuesday.
Veterans Shakeel Abbasi and Sohail Abbas fashioned Pakistan’s win over Bangladesh with two goals apiece, while Muhammad Imran also pumped in two penalty corners.
Abbasi put Pakistan ahead in the 13th minute with a brilliant reverse flick and Abbas increased the margin two minutes later with a stinging penalty corner.
Abbasi scored the third goal in the 27th with a superb run down the middle when he dribbled past three defenders and beat the advancing goalkeeper.
Abbas, who failed to score off the lone penalty corner his side earned against India, struck his second set-piece goal as Pakistan took a 4-0 lead by half-time.
Muhammad Imran converted two penalty corners in the second half, before Bangladesh earned a consolation goal through Taposh Barmon seven minutes before the final whistle.
“We took this match as if we were playing the final, because we must continue to win if we are to reach and win the final,” said the 35-year-old Abbas.
“Penalty corners are the most important part of modern hockey. Yesterday, India scored two of them while we missed and lost the game. That turned the game around.” The Koreans went on a rampage against Singapore, scoring five goals in the first half and another seven after resumption.
Seo Jong-ho and Nam Huyn-woo slammed hat-tricks, while Jang Jong-hyun found the target with two penalty corners.
You Hyo-sik, Kim Young-jin, Yeo Woon-kon and Yoon Sung-hoon were the other scorers for South Korea, even as Mohammad Yuhari narrowed the scoreline for Singapore.
Singapore bowed out of the competition with four successive defeats, while Bangladesh had one win and three defeats.
India, already assured of a place in the semi-finals, were stung by a 21st minute goal from Japan’s Hiroki Sakamoto.
Captain Rajpal Singh and penalty corner ace Sandeep Singh hit back for India on either side of the break, before Sandeep scored his second goal in the 62nd minute.
Sakamoto made it 2-3 seven minutes before the final whistle, but Japan failed to draw level.

RESULTS -- Men Group A: South Korea 12 (Seo Jong-ho 1, 13, 53, You Hyo-sik 20, Jang Jong-hyun 28, 65, Nam Hyun-woo 34, 45, 62, Kim Young-jin 44, Yeo Woon-kon 59, Yoon Sung-hoon 63) Singapore 1 (Mohammad Yuhari 22) H-t: 5-1.
Group B: Pakistan 6 (Shakeel Abbasi 13, 27, Sohail Abbas 15, 29, Muhammad Imran 37, 48) Bangladesh 1 (Taposh Barmon 63) H-t: 4-0.
India 3 (Rajpal Singh 31, Sandeep Singh 38, 62) Japan 2 (Hiroki Sakamoto 21, 63) H-t: 1-1.

Perak start with a stutter

SILVER medallists Perak scraped to a 4-3 victory against Selangor in Group B of the National Under-14 hockey tournament at the at the Universiti Sains Malaysia Stadium in Penang yesterday.
The silver state, who lost the title battle to Kuala Lumpur last year, took the lead off Zulhamizan Abas in the 12th minute, only to see Haikal Zamri equalise for Selangor.
Shaeimyrul Zzrecl again gave Perak the lead in the 29th minute, but Haikal was in his element and scored a penalty corner goal to draw Selangor level again.
However, Zulhamizan scored his brace in the 48th minute, while team-mate Alis Fauzal made it 4-2 in the 52nd minute.
Selangor made a late push and narrowed the gap to 3-4 in the 58th minute when Hafis Elkan was on target, but could not find the equaliser to share the spoils.
Defending champions Kuala Lumpur only had one point to show when they were held to a 1-1 draw by Terengganu in another Group A match.
Jagven Singh gave KL the leas in the 16th minute, but Firaz Tarmizi drew level in the 22nd minute and handed his team a crucial point.
Group A

P W D L F A Pts
Penang 1 1 0 0 5 0 3
Malacca 1 1 0 0 3 2 3
K Lumpur 1 0 1 0 1 1 1
Terengganu 1 0 1 0 1 1 1
Johor 1 0 0 1 2 3 0
Pahang 1 0 0 1 0 5 0
Singapore 0 0 0 0 0 0 0

Group B
P W D L F A Pts
Perak 1 1 0 0 4 3 3
N Sembilan 1 1 0 0 4 0 3
Kedah 1 1 0 0 5 1 3
Selangor 1 0 0 1 3 4 0
Kelantan 1 0 0 1 1 5 0
Sarawak 1 0 0 1 0 4 0

RESULTS: Group B: Perak 4 Selangor 3, Kedah 5 Kelantan 1, Negri Sembilan 4 Sarawak 0.
Group A: Johor 2 Malacca 3, Penang 5 Pahang 0, Kuala Lumpur 1 Terengganu 1.
TODAY: Group A: Kuala Lumpur v Singapore (7.30am); Penang v Terengganu (9am); Johor v Pahang (3.30pm).
Group B: Perak v Sarawak (5pm); Negri Sembilan v Kelantan (6.30pm); Selangor v Kedah (8pm).