D-Day With Korea

he D-day had arrived. It remained to be seen whether we will make history, or just repeat the past history of losing in the final in 8 previous summit appearances. None of the 16 players in the team was even born when India won the Asian Games gold for the only time in 1966. We wanted to win the final, and thereby win the nation's heart.

We had two days of interval between the semi-final and final. We utilised this time to relax, fine-tune our strategy, and do light exercises and skill drills. In the earlier pool game with South Korea, we had conceded many penalty corners. So we decided to play a tight game, leaving no room for mistakes in the defence.

We also saw the girls match, and were elated that they had also reached the final. That meant a medal was assured, unlike the last two Asiads where our women had to return empty-handed.

On the day of the final, many Indian shops were closed in order to help people attend the match and cheer for us. The atmosphere was electric, only the presence of the Korean supporters stopped it from looking as if the match was being played in some Punjab town.

In the final, we conceded a goal in the 6th minute - a penalty corner direct conversion. While Dhanraj and Saini charged out instantly after the push, Dileep Tirkey did not stay back on the goal line and Ballal also charged upfront, perhaps two feet more than necessary. Ramandeep should have covered his left at this point. The direct push pierced between Ramandeep and Ballal and reached home.

I was getting worried that our forwards were missing long passes. At least a quarter of the straight passes effected by Tirkey were not intercepted by the forwards. Also, our forwards were falling too deep to prevent another goal, but were not returning ahead in time.

Captain Dhanraj Pillai scored the equaliser in the 22nd minute with a reflex flick off a rebound from goal-keeper Koo Jin Soo, who had blocked a penalty corner drive by Dileep Tirkey. This was the tenth goal in the tournament for the prolific Indian captain.

In the second half, we sustained the Korean onslaught by adopting an aggressive game. We could have won the day had we converted at least two of the many easy chances we got. On one occasion, Mukesh lost possession. On another occasion, in a one-on-one situation, Dhanraj delayed his shot and ran parallel inside the circle which gave time to the defenders to regroup. I wondered, though, why we were not given a stroke when Dhanraj was bodily obstructed.

And then there was the agonising moment when a scoop-drive by Baljeet Singh Dhillon off a penalty corner beat the defence with its sheer pace, but struck against the upright and spun back into play.

The Koreans got panicky, and started indulging in body play. Barring a yellow card suspension for a rough tackle on Mukesh Kumar, they escaped almost half a dozen times very luckily.

The two teams ended up tied 1-1 at the end of regulation time, and the 15 minutes of extra-time also failed to produce the golden goal.

Nos.	What Happened
1	Baljeet Dhillon's straight hit. Goalkeeper anticipates and blocks
2	Dileep Tirkey's first-timer stopped by goalkeeper Dhanraj traps the rebound and scores goal
3	Baljeet Dhillon's predictable drag flick blocked Length of drag more than what was necessary
4	Baljeet Dhillon's scoop hits top right post Baljeet blocked by rival, gets another penalty corner
5	Riaz plays dummy, ball played to pusher Mukesh Rival player intercepts and clears
6	Baljeet Dhillon plays dummy Dileep Tirkey's straight hit goes direct to goalkeeper
7	Baljeet Saini's scoop goes just over cross-piece Distinctly unlucky not to get a goal

Nos.	What Happened
1	Direct hit by Yeo Woon Kon results in goal
2	Scoop attempt, Ballal deflects Rebound cleared by Ramadeep Singh
3,4,5	Information not available
6	Ball not stopped properly by South Korea
7	Ballal anticipates and blocks with a dive Baljeet Saini clears the rebound
8	Ball sent back to pusher Defence covers every angle
9	Almost a goal, Ramandeep beaten Alert Ballal comes ahead and clears
10	Attacker concentrates on Ballal's left Ballal moves on both legs and clears

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D-Day With Korea			We could have won had we converted at least two easy chances we got. On one occasion, Mukesh lost possession. On another occasion, in a one-on-one situation, Dhanraj delayed his shot and ran parallel inside the circle which gave time to the defenders to regroup. And then there was the agonising moment when a scoop-drive by Baljeet Singh Dhillon beat the defence with its sheer pace, but struck the upright and spun back into play.
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The Golden Boot

D-Day With Korea