A second-string India made a winning return to the Sultan Azlan Shah Cup on Sunday, edging three-time champions South Korea 1–0 thanks to a cool, clinical finish from Mohammed Raheel in the opening quarter.
Back in the tournament after six long years, India — five-time champions themselves — wasted little time asserting control. Their breakthrough arrived in the 15th minute: a sharp midfield move initiated by Abhishek and captain Sanjay split the Korean lines, before Dilpreet Singh pounced on a loose ball and squared it perfectly for Raheel to tap home.
From there, India dictated the tempo. Abhishek and Sanjay bossed the midfield, allowing the men in blue to attack confidently from both flanks. India even earned a penalty corner inside four minutes, but Sanjay’s low drag-flick was padded away by the Korean goalkeeper.
Korea push back, India hold firm
South Korea, the side that beat India in the 2019 final, finally found some rhythm in the second quarter. They nearly snatched an equaliser in the 27th minute when a forward came sliding in to meet a teasing cross, but the final touch eluded him by inches. India survived the scare and went into halftime with their slender lead intact.
The third quarter saw India regain full control. Abhishek’s pressing won them another penalty corner, though the resulting hit sailed well wide. From there, India’s defensive organisation tightened even further — Korea were suffocated for space, forced wide, and rarely allowed clean entries into the circle.
With the rain-soaked pitch causing a six-hour delay to the original 1:30 pm IST start time, both teams could have been forgiven for looking sluggish. Instead, India closed out the final quarter with maturity, composure, and a level of structure that belied the team’s “second-string” tag.
What’s next
India face Belgium on Monday in the round-robin phase. Each team plays five matches, with three points for a win and one for a draw.
(with PTI inputs)
