After winning five out of five games in the group stages, defending champions India will meet South Korea in the Asian Champions Trophy semifinals on Monday evening, with a spot in the final against either China or Pakistan on the line.
India endured two of the competition’s toughest tests in their last two league games, but came out on top with a 3-1 win over semifinal opponents South Korea and a 2-1 triumph over arch-rivals Pakistan.
Their captain, Harmanpreet Singh, has recovered his best drag-flicking form, posing a threat to India’s opponents in the knockout rounds. Harmanpreet scored his 200th international goal against Korea before scoring twice in the victory over Pakistan.
The primary advantage for India in this competition has been that Harmanpreet has only scored 5 of the 21 goals scored, in stark contrast to the Paris Olympics, where he scored 10 of 15. The strikers, particularly teenagers Araijeet Singh Hundal and Uttam Singh, have made major contributions, and Raj Kumar Pal has been a valuable midfield partner.
Korea’s main threat to India will be from penalty corners, where Yang Ji-Hun, the tournament’s leading scorer, excels. He currently has seven goals in the competition, including one against India in the last meeting between the two teams.
The match will begin at 3:30 IST. Tune in to know the updates.
Pingback: Asian Champions Trophy Final: India vs China