Mokpo, 08 September 2026: The Indian junior men's hockey team has taken an important step towards reaching the semi-finals of the Junior Asia Cup after handing a crushing 7-3 defeat to South Korea, thanks to two goals from captain Anmol Ekkana.
The match was equal for the first three quarters, but the defending champion Indian team defeated South Korea by scoring three goals in the fourth and final quarter.
With this win, India has got seven points from three matches with two wins and one draw. India will face Chinese Taipei in its final pool match on Wednesday. Victory in this match will ensure its place in the semi-finals.
Anmole once again demonstrated his extraordinary skills. By scoring two goals, he took his total number of goals in the tournament to eight.
The first three quarters of the match ended in a tie. India took the lead in the fifth minute with a goal scored by Anmol on a penalty corner. However, in the very next minute, South Korea leveled the score at 1-1 with the help of Dohyun Choi's penalty corner goal.
Luv Noor Singh restored India's lead with a field goal in the 18th minute, but South Korea immediately hit back. Hyoguk Yue then converted the penalty corner in the next 60 seconds to level the score at 2-2.
Ajit Yadve scored a goal in the 20th minute, which gave India a 3-2 lead at half-time.
However, South Korea made a comeback. UA scored its second goal in the sixth minute of the third quarter, due to which the Korean team was tied at 3-3.
In the last phase of the third quarter, in the 42nd minute, Prabhadeep Singh gave India a lead of 4-3. Then, India achieved a spectacular victory by scoring three goals in a span of just three minutes in the fourth quarter.
Gursevak Singh scored in the 55th minute. A minute later, Anmole scored from a penalty corner to make the score 6-3. Aryan Jase scored India's seventh goal in the 58th minute.
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