India aim for podium finish against Korea tomorrow

IPOH (Malaysia): Shut out of the final, India have now trained their sights on a podium finish in the 16th Sultan Azlan Shah Cup eight-nation hockey tournament.

Rated as the second best team in the competition after Australia, the Indians take on Asian Games champions Korea in the play-off for third place on Sunday.

"It was disappointing to lose to Malaysia in the semi-final last night, but now we have to focus on the next best option available to us and that is a bronze medal," coach Joaquim Carvalho said.

The Indians would aim to emulate the feat they managed last year when they finished third in the prestigious tournament. They had also won the event three times in 1985, 1991 and 1995.

Carvalho admitted that the task before India on Sunday would not be easy.

"The Koreans are fit and fast, and we need to be on our toes. However, I am confident that the team would put up another strong performance," he said.

The absence of a strong full-back to partner William Xalco has been India's major concern, especially in the light of Harpal Singh's rather low-key showing thus far.

"This is something we are addressing and we have to devise a strategy to overcome this weakness," the coach said.

Carvalho opined that reaching the semifinals was a good result for India who have come here with a fairly young and inexperienced side with the express intention of providing exposure to the new players.

"But then, it would be nice to go back with a medal and that is what we are targeting now," he added.

After a false start which saw them losing 0-1 to Australia in the opening game, the Indians gathered momentum, defeating China 5-4 and Argentina 2-0 before losing to Malaysia in the semi-finals.

Carvalho asserted that the players have shrugged off the semi-final defeat and would be keen to end their campaign here on a winning note.

The Indians have played with a lot of spirit and spunk, but mistakes inside the striking circle have cost them dear. Against the Koreans, they can ill-afford such errors if they hope to finish on the podium.

The Koreans have openly expressed their admiration of the
Indian team that they described as 'young, fast and talented.'

Being the Asian Games champions, the onus will be on the Koreans to live up to expectations while the Indians have nothing to lose.

"They have some extremely talented players and I do not expect an easy match," said Korean coach Myung Jun Cho.

His team has displayed up-and-down form that saw them lose to Malaysia 1-0 in the group match besides a long drawn-out 4-2 win over Pakistan and an unimpressive 1-0 result against lowly Canada.

Coming up against Australia in the semi-finals, the Koreans were blown away 6-2, but suffered on account of some strange umpiring decisions, including a disallowed goal that would have tied the scores at 2-2.

Semi-finalists at the 2006 World Cup, the Koreans have looked their part when in full flow, but like the other teams in the fray, they too are in the process of developing a fresh side for next year's Olympic Games in Beijing.

The Koreans feel that they still have a long way to go, but if their performance here is any guide, then they are getting there in a hurry.

Both coaches predicted a well-fought and close match that could go either way depending on who capitalises on the openings.

The Koreans would be looking up to their experienced players to pull them through while the comparatively younger Indian side are hoping to out-run their opponents.