Korean men retain hockey gold

Doha: South Korea displayed all their skill and speed to rout China 3-1 and retain the Asian Games men's hockey gold medal in Doha on Thursday.

The Chinese, who turned out to be the surprise package with their giant-killing acts which saw two continental giants India and Pakistan being knocked out of gold medal contention, raised hopes of another such demolition job by scoring the first goal as early as the ninth minute of the contest through Yubo Na.

However, the defending champions hit back with a vengeance by pumping in two goals in the span of four minutes to take control of the proceedings.

For South Korea, who led 2-1 at the breather, Yeo Woon Kon scored twice (16th and 66th) while Yoon Sung Hoon chipped in with one in the 12th minute in a fast-paced encounter at the Al-Rayyan stadium.

Both teams relied on speed more than stickwork to break through the rival citadel as the ball travelled from one end to the other at great pace.

The Koreans could have won by a bigger margin had their forwards not squandered a few of the scoring opportunities that came their way, particularly in the second session when they enjoyed territorial advantage.

For the Chinese, the stress was more on speed and stamina as no player held on to the ball for more than a few seconds.

Coached by former South Korean skipper Kim Sangryul, the Chinese seemed to succeed in their tactics as they forced a penalty corner in the ninth minute, which was converted by Yubo Na.

The Koreans did not allow their former skipper to celebrate for more then three minutes as they drew parity in the 12th minute with Yoon Sung Hoon piercing through the Chinese defence.

The defending champions launched several counter-attacks after that and added another goal in the 16th minute when Yeo Woon Kon made a fine move from the flank to score after outwitting a host of defenders.

Having taken the lead, Koreans stepped up the pressure and the Chinese were forced to fall back and crowd their defence.

They managed to keep the marauding Koreans at bay for most of the time but in the process could not initiate any counter-attacks.

Four minutes before the final hooter, Koreans forced a penalty stroke when Meng Xuguang fouled their striker Hong Eun Seong inside the circle. Yeo Woon Kon made no mistake in the conversion to complete the tally for the winners.