Ipoh (Malaysia), Nov 24 (IANS) The Indian Men’s Hockey Team opened their Sultan Azlan Shah Cup 2025 campaign with a 1-0 win against Korea at the Sultan Azlan Shah Stadium in Ipoh, Malaysia, on Sunday. Mohammed Raheel (15’) scored the only goal of the game, helping the Indian team get over the line.

India began the game in promising fashion, stringing together neat passes and dominating possession in the opening exchanges. After a spell of early pressure, Sukhjeet Singh came close to opening the scoring, striking the post from close range. Team India eventually made their positive start count when Mohammed Raheel (15’) finished off a well-worked team move, giving his side a 1-0 lead at the end of the first quarter.

With Korea trying to play catch up in the second quarter, they managed to manufacture a couple of chances on the counter attack. However, Mohith HS denied them the equaliser with a sharp save, ensuring that India kept their noses in front after a commanding first half display.

In search of a second goal, India came flying off the blocks to begin the second half. They continued to push Korea on the backfoot with a couple of Penalty Corners opportunities, but those yielded no results. With time ticking in the third quarter, India had to dig deep in defence with Pawan being called into action a couple of times to ensure their lead remained intact heading into the final fifteen minutes.

India upped the ante in the fourth quarter as they looked to put the result beyond all doubt. Kim Jaehan was the busier of the two goalkeepers as he denied Abhishek from close range, keeping Korea in with a fighting chance with under seven minutes to go. The Koreans were persistent in their search for a leveller, but the Indian defence was resolute to deny them any opportunity.

With under a minute to play, Korea had the opportunity to steal a point from a Penalty Corner. However, Mohith HS stood tall and stuck out a leg to shut the door once again. India held on in the end, earning a hard-fought win courtesy their comprehensive performance on both ends of the pitch.

India will next play Belgium on Monday at 15:30 hours IST. All matches of the Sultan Azlan Shah Cup 2025 are being broadcast live on FanCode.

–IANS

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