Field Hockey: South Korea end England hopes
LONDON: England’s chances of winning the London Cup ended with a 5-4 defeat by South Korea on Wednesday.
Both sides had to win after first round losses to stand a chance of making it through to the final and it was the visitors who enjoyed a narrow victory.
England saw first-half goals from Jonty Clarke and captain Barry Middleton cancelled by Lee Nam-Yong’s double to ensure the teams remained all square at half-time at 2-2.
The home side forged a 4-2 lead through Mark Pearn and a second goal from Middleton yet let it slip as Lee completed his hat-trick and Jang Jong-Hyun tied the game at 4-4.
And three minutes from time South Korea’s fightback was completed when You Hyo-Sik scored from a penalty corner.
“It was definitely a much better performance than the first game,” said England coach Jason Lee.
“The players can be proud of how they played. To be honest, I’m a little bit bemused as to how we didn’t win today.”
It was the second time in as many matches though that England had squandered a two-goal lead following a 4-2 defeat by Belgium.
That loss prompted Lee to say: “We didn’t score any of our corners. It was embarrassing being beaten in front of a home crowd.”
Middleton added after the Belgium reverse: “We have a bad habit of not performing at home.
“That is one of the biggest tasks we are trying to resolve — our psychiatrist should be able to help.”
England’s final pool match is against New Zealand on Friday. The Kiwis are already through to the final on Saturday after Nick Wilson’s late strike secured a 3-2 win over Belgium.
Friday also sees Belgium up against South Korea for the other final berth.