Diwakar gives India the second straight Jr. Asia C

India defeats strong, powerhouse South Korea in the golden goal to obtain its second straight Junior Asia Cup.

Despite struggling for better part of the match, India came alive in the last quarter of the match to neutralize the two goal lead and then in the third minute of the first extra time for the latest glory.

For a change, a goody crowd turned up, and the atmosphere was simply electric for the bublling yongseters to turn around.

But the crowd almost major part of the match, had nothing to do, as the Korean scored their first goal in the early part, and then enlarged the lead soon after the second session started.

But the usually methodical Koreans dug their own graveyard, when their no. 14 made an avoidable body tackle near their 25-yardline.

It lead to him suspended. It was the time the match turned for better for the hosts. Seeing his opportunity, coach AK Bansal introduced his trump card at that moment — Gurwinder Chandi and SV Sunil. The rest was history.

Sunil, otherwise had a clumsy game in the first half, scored by himslef to raise the hopes of a fight back.

Then the rest was left to usually dependable Diwakar Ram

“The whole team was expecting me to score, and am proud I could just do that”, said beaming Diwakar Ram.

His first goal, the team’s seecond on the vital day, came off the third penalty corner, award which was vehemently protested by the Korean coach. He even pulled the team for a couple of minutes, leaving Krishnan Ramamoorthy, Tournament Director, to rush and reason with him.

As the rival expected, Diwakar scored in the 62nd minute. This penalty corner was certainly a soft one, and the Korean coach Lim Jung Woo’s woe was justiied. But in hockey such things occur, and luckily this time India was on the benefitted side.