K ARUMUGAM

aking early lead and maintaining it all through, Harmanpreet Singh’s dream Indian XI made it to the Asian Games final, majestically. With opportunistic goal apiece from Hardik Singh, Mandeep Singh, and Lalit Kumar Upadhyay in the 5th, 11th and 15th minutes respectively, India took a commanding 3-0 lead in the first quarter.

There have been threatening moves and goals from the known fighters South Koreans, the Indian too team too struggled a lot especially in the third quarter, but never did it lose the lead.

“Its semifinal. We cannot expect easy game”, said Mandeep analysing the game later.

These  are words of wisdom. Undaunted, the Koreans where veterans Nam Lee Yong and Jang Jonghyun were exemplary once more, they struck twice through a penalty corner and a deflection of cross, threatened to equalize any time.

Both goals came through the stick of Jung Manjae Jung.

Conceding two goals in three minutes and getting the margin of lead reduced to a solitary goal, Indians for a while lost rhythm, and the quarter in-charge under the cage PR Sreejesh’s calibre came into suspicions.

However, Amit Rohidas once again showed his class with an immaculate conversion of penalty corner (4-2) to give relief to the goody crowd, where Indians from Hong Kong came in numbers.

The score was comfortable one for the Indians in the lemon time.

On change of side, Manjae Jung again proved India’s tormentor, came out with another penalty corner conversion, to narrow down the score line to 4-3 and look for their redemption.

Indians in this quarter were anything but solid. Unforced errors were aplenty and the scenario was turning in favour of the Asia Cup holder, Korea.

India had to safeguard their slim lead for another 13 minutes.

However, a surge from left flank saw Abhishek who was sparingly used, tapping it even as he was surrounded by three Chinese defenders. Yet, with a delightful body swerve and with limited space to him, the Haryana Hurricane unleashed shot of his life. It went in a lightening fashion to the other corner of the net (5-2). It was a comfortable score to guard another six minutes.

India possessed enough patience to finish the match at its own pace, though Koreans kept the Indian defence, which lost Varun Kumar to injury. Korea too had its share of injury with the heavy hit of Yang Jihun.

By and large, India’s early lead turned out to the game changer, while the ageing Koreans did not allow the ultimate victors an easy task.

“We have one more match to go, and will not celebrate too early”, said beaming captain Harmanpreet Singh.