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The contest, delayed slightly by rain, began brightly for India. In the early exchanges, the hosts pressed hard, earning two penalty corners within the first seven minutes but failing to convert. The breakthrough came in the eighth minute when Sukhjeet Singh won the ball in midfield and fed Hardik Singh, who made a dazzling solo run before calmly finishing past the Korean goalkeeper.
Korea hit back almost immediately. A foul by Jugraj Singh inside the circle handed them a penalty stroke, which Yang converted with precision in the 12th minute. Just two minutes later, Hyeon Hong Kim’s drag flick from a penalty corner gave Korea a 2-1 lead, stunning the Indian defence.
India dominated possession in the second quarter, relentlessly attacking the Korean circle. However, disciplined defending and sharp goalkeeping kept them at bay. The closest India came was in the 22nd minute, when Jarmanpreet Singh’s angled shot was denied by a reflex save.
The third quarter followed a similar script, with India creating chances but struggling to convert. Manpreet Singh’s clever pass set up Sukhjeet at the far post in the 41st minute, but his shot drifted wide. Abhishek also wasted two opportunities before Harmanpreet Singh’s penalty corner attempt was cleared off the line.
India finally found the equaliser in the 53rd minute. Sukhjeet threaded a perfect ball to Mandeep Singh, who tapped into an empty net to make it 2-2. Both sides had penalty corners in the closing stages, but neither could break the deadlock. Abhishek created one last chance for Sukhjeet in the 56th minute, but the attempt went just wide as the thriller ended in a stalemate.
In the day’s other Super 4s clash, Malaysia extended their unbeaten run with a 2-0 win over China, securing a fourth straight victory. Earlier, in the 5th–6th place playoff, Japan defeated Chinese Taipei 2-0, courtesy of a brace from Shinohara Ryosuke.
India, who topped their pool with three wins from three, will next face in-form Malaysia on Thursday in a crucial Super 4s tie.
