CHENNAI: Producing a dazzling display, India retained the Asia Cup hockey title, drubbing Asian Games champions Korea 7-2 in the final here on Sunday. Prabhjot Singh (31st, 64th) and Rajpal Singh (42nd, 55th) scored two goals each for India while Shivendra Singh (4th), S V Sunil (13th) and Ignace Tirkey (53th) netted one each in India’s spectacular victory.
Jang Jong Hyun (9th) and Oh Dae Keun (68th) were the Korean scorers in a contest that saw tempers flare up on more than one occasion. The Koreans even threatened a walkout after one of their goals was disallowed but in the end, they were persuaded to stay and suffered their second biggest defeat to India.
A delighted Indian coach Joaquim Carvalho said the team would now focus on claiming a berth at the Olympic Games next year in Beijing. “Going by the improved performance of the players from tournament to tournament, I am hopeful that we will qualify for the Beijing Olympics,” Carvalho said.
“All through this Asia Cup, the players should be given the credit for adhering to our plan and strategies to maintain a clean slate and winning the gold medal,” he added.
“We can beat any top team in the world on our day,” said the confident coach, who took over after India’s disastrous showing at the Asian Games in Doha last December. With a title-triumph under his belt, Carvalho can now focus on preparing the team for the Olympic qualifiers.
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