The Men in Blue will face South Korea in the semi-final encounter of Men’s Asian Champions Trophy 2024 on September 16.

The Indian men’s hockey team continued its impressive unbeaten run against Pakistan with a 2-1 triumph in the pool stage of the hockey Men’s Asian Champions Trophy 2024. This match took place at the Moqi Hockey Training Base in Hulunbuir, People’s Republic of China, on Saturday. The defending champions, currently ranked fifth globally, secured their place in the semi-finals as the sole undefeated team in the tournament. 

India emerged at the top of the points table with a flawless record of five wins from five matches, accumulating a total of 15 points. Pakistan, ranked 16th in the world, finished second with eight points.

Alongside India and Pakistan, South Korea had also secured a spot in the semi-finals thanks to the 3-3 draw with Malaysia earlier. Following the India-Pakistan clash, China claimed the final semi-final berth by defeating Japan 2-0. Consequently, China finished in third place and will face Pakistan in the first semi-final scheduled for Monday.

India and South Korea are set to meet for the 62nd time in international hockey, with their rivalry dating back to the 1958 Asian Games in Tokyo, where India secured a 2-1 victory. Over the years, India has dominated the head-to-head record, winning 38 out of the 61 encounters, while South Korea has managed 11 victories, and 12 matches have ended in draws.

Their most recent clash occurred earlier in the ongoing tournament, where India emerged victorious with a 3-1 win. The long-standing competition between these two teams has seen India consistently maintain an edge, though South Korea has shown flashes of resilience in various tournaments.

Their last victory against India came in the 2019 Sultan Azlan Shah Cup where the Koreans edged past India in penalties 4-2 after ending the match tied 1-1 at the final whistle.

Let’s have look at the last five encounters between these two teams:

India vs South Korea last five meetings

#1 India 3-1 South Korea, 12 Sep 2024

In 2024, the Indian men’s hockey team continued their unbeaten run in the league stage of Asian Champions Trophy 2024 by securing a 3-1 victory over South Korea to advance to the semifinals. Captain Harmanpreet Singh led the charge with two goals, while Araijeet Singh Hundal added another to seal the win. India’s dominant performance in the tournament highlighted their strength and determination.

#2 India 5-3 South Korea, 4 Oct 2023

India secured a 5-3 victory over South Korea in a closely contested semi-final to advance to the final of the men’s hockey competition at the Asian Games. Despite a dominant start with a 3-0 lead in the first quarter, the Koreans mounted a strong challenge, forcing India to work hard for the win.

India held their ground and moved on to the gold medal match, where they convincingly defeated Japan 5-0 to claim the top spot on the podium. This triumph reaffirmed India’s dominance in Asian hockey.

#3 India 3-2 South Korea, 07 Aug 2023

India secured a crucial 3-2 victory over South Korea in their fourth match of the Asian Champions Trophy 2023. The win against the defending champions solidified India’s position at the top of the points table and guaranteed their place in the semi-finals.

Midfielder Nilakanta Sharma opened the scoring in the 6th minute, followed by goals from captain Harmanpreet Singh and Mandeep Singh. Korea responded with goals from Sunghyun Kim and Jihun Yang, but India held on for the win, and then went on to win the tournament.

Also Read: Asian Champions Trophy: Full list of title winners

#4 India 4-4 South Korea, 31 May 2022

Indian men’s hockey team missed out on the Asia Cup 2022 final after a 4-4 draw against South Korea in their last Super 4s match at the GBK Sports Complex, Jakarta. India needed a win to reach the final, especially after Malaysia’s 5-0 victory over Japan earlier that day secured Malaysia’s spot in the top two.

However, the draw left India, South Korea, and Malaysia tied on five points each, with goal difference determining the finalists. As a result, India was unable to progress to the gold medal match.

#5 India 2-2 South Korea, 14 Dec 2021

In 2021, defending champions and Olympic bronze medallists India were held to a 2-2 draw by a resilient South Korea in their opening match of the Asian Champions Trophy at Dhaka, Bangladesh. This was India’s first tournament since their historic bronze medal finish at the Tokyo Olympics, and they started with great momentum.

Lalit Upadhyay opened the scoring early, netting a goal in the fourth minute, followed by a successful penalty corner conversion by vice-captain Harmanpreet Singh in the 18th minute, putting India two goals ahead. However, Korea mounted a strong comeback, eventually forcing a hard-fought draw.

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