Rajgir: The battle for a place in the final of the Asia Cup men’s hockey tournament begins on Wednesday, with India set to take on South Korea in their opening Super Four clash.
India, Malaysia, China and South Korea progressed to the last four after strong group-stage performances and will now face each other once in a round-robin format. The top two sides will contest the final, while the remaining two will play for bronze.
India’s match against Korea is scheduled for 7.30pm, following Malaysia’s meeting with China at 5pm. Earlier in the day, Japan will face Chinese Taipei at 2.30pm in the classification round for fifth to eighth place, where Bangladesh and Kazakhstan are also competing.
Each Super Four team will play three matches, with three points awarded for a win and one for a draw. At least two victories are likely to be required for a place in the final, though goal difference could prove decisive if teams finish level.
Japan narrowly missed out on a Super Four berth despite finishing level on four points with China, losing out on goal difference. They now turn their attention to securing fifth place, with Koji Yamasaki expected to play a key role against Chinese Taipei.
Malaysia, runners-up in the past two editions, enter the next stage in prolific form after thrashing Chinese Taipei 15-1 in their final group game. Anaur Akhimullah leads the scoring charts with nine goals, supported by Asharan Hamshani with six. China, however, have also shown attacking strength, scoring 13 past Kazakhstan.
India’s biggest challenge will be handling Korea’s counterattacking threat. Harmanpreet Singh, India’s captain, is second on the goalscoring list with seven strikes, while forward Abhishek has netted four. For Korea, Dan Son has emerged as a danger man with five goals so far.
The tournament features 12 more matches over the next four days, with a rest day scheduled for September 5.
