Explorer

Hockey eves face tough task against Koreans

South Korea, May 18, India will take on formidable South Korea in their last round robin match at the 5th Womens Asian Champions Trophy here on Saturday. Led by experienced defender Sunita Lakra, India have remained unbeaten in the tournament so far having won against Japan (4-1), China (3-1) and Malaysia (3-2). While playing the World No.9 Koreans at their home ground will be a challenging affair for the Indians, it will serve as ideal preparation for Sunday's final where they will meet the hosts. South Korea who have won two matches (3-1 against Malaysia, 3-1 against China) and drawn one game (1-1 against Japan) in the round robin stage. "Korea is a good team, but our girls have played this tournament with a lot of confidence. We are not so bothered about this being their home ground but want to just focus on ourselves and carry forward the good momentum," India coach Sjoerd Marijne said. While praising his team for their aggression and attacking prowess, Marijne warned that the Indians need to ensure they don't make errors against a highly defensive team like South Korea. "The Koreans like to play high press. It will be important for us to not let that pressure affect our game and we need to ensure we don't make mistakes in our own half. Besides this, we will need to move the ball fast to create space," the coach said. While India were lethal against Japan and a higher ranked China, their level dropped against Malaysia. "It is not always easy to play against a team who play with 11 players in their circle. To make the game favourable for us, we need to score more penalty corners and ensure we don't miss easy goals," Marijne said. "When that doesn't happen, the level starts dropping and we made some silly mistakes. But what is important is, we won that match." Marijne believes it will be important to be smart in how the Indians play and not exhaust themselves ahead of the title clash. "This match will give us good understanding of how they play and what changes we need to make ahead of the final. We have to be smart in the way we play and ensure we don't exhaust ourselves too much," he opined.
View More
Advertisement
Advertisement
25°C
New Delhi
Rain: 100mm
Humidity: 97%
Wind: WNW 47km/h
See Today's Weather
powered by
Accu Weather
Advertisement

Top Headlines

'Record Shattered': NASA, UN Say 2024 Became Hottest Year Ever After 15 Months Of Unprecedented Heat Streak
'Record Shattered': NASA, UN Say 2024 Became Hottest Year Ever After 15 Months Of Unprecedented Heat Streak
Donald Trump Sentenced In Hush Money Case With Unconditional Discharge, First US President Convicted As Felon
Hush Money Case: Trump Sentenced With Unconditional Discharge, First US Prez Convicted As Felon
‘Saw Painful Scene Of Corpses’: PM Modi On 2002 Godhra Riots, Recalls ‘Disrespect’ Of US Visa Cancellation
‘Saw Painful Scene Of Corpses’: Modi On 2002 Godhra Riots, Recalls ‘Disrespect’ Of US Visa Cancellation
Mahakumbh 2025: UP CM Yogi Adityanath Invites PM Modi, Says Grand Event Showing ‘New India To The World’
Mahakumbh 2025: UP CM Yogi Adityanath Invites PM Modi, Says Grand Event Showing ‘New India To The World’
Advertisement
ABP Premium

Videos

Delhi Election 2025: Arvind Kejriwal Accuses BJP of Cutting Votes of Purvanchalis and DalitsDelhi Election 2025: The BJP Purvanchal Samman Rally took to the street in Opposition to Arvind KejriwalDelhi Elections 2025: BJP Workers Protest Against AAP, March Led by Manoj Tiwari to Kejriwal's ResidenceDelhi Elections 2025: BJP March Against Kejriwal, Manoj Tiwari Leads Purvanchal Samman March

Photo Gallery

Embed widget