S Korea hold Pakistan to draw

KARACHI: The match between Pakistan and South Korea ended in a 1-1 draw in Super Four round of Asia Cup in Dhaka on Thursday.

Pakistan took the lead in the first quarter but South Korea managed to equalise in the fourth quarter. Pakistan will now be meeting India in their last Super Four match. Pakistan lost their first match to Malaysia 3-2.

Pakistan qualified for Super Four after beating Bangladesh 7-0, drawing against Japan 2-2 and losing to India 3-1. The Green-shirts took the lead when Ajaz Ahmed netted a goal in the 15 minute.

Pakistan got a chance to double the lead but forward Muhammad Atiq’s attempt for goal remained unsuccessful. The first quarter was the show of Pakistan’s dominance as they attacked the Koreans from the start of the match and the opponents focused on defence.

In the second quarter, Pakistan once again missed a chance when Ajaz failed to dodge the Korean goalkeeper. In the third quarter, South Korea played aggressively and made several attempts to score, resulting in two penalty corners, but failed to find the net.

In the 48th minute, South Korea were awarded a free hit on the edge of the Pakistani box. And Namyong Lee produced the equaliser finally. South Korea had several chances after their first goal and the Pakistani defence looked vulnerable towards the end of the match.

Pakistan also had a golden opportunity in the 54th minute but Muhammad Rizwan Sr failed to beat the goalkeeper from close range. Both the teams kept trying until the full-time whistle, but neither succeeded to strike.

The draw means that South Korea have two points from their two matches in Super Four, while Pakistan have only one point. Pakistan coach Farhat Khan said that they lost the match because of missing the chances. “Overall our players played well but due to lack of international experience, the boys are wasting scoring opportunities. But after each match their confidence is increasing.

“The last match, against India, will be crucial. We have no option but to go all out with open heart and win the match,” he added. He said the players would have to stop making mistakes and missing chances. The Man of the Match Award was presented by Mohammed Nurul Islam, former Bangladesh player, to Muhammad Rizwan.