Even Korean second-stringers prove more than a handful for Indians

India8217;s Uzbek coach Islam Akhmedov wanted to quit the job with a flourish, but a late surge by the Korean reserves upset his plans.

Korea Republic, already through to the quarter final, had rested as many as six of their regular players, which could be one of reason for India being able to hold the opponents for most part of the match.

Akhmedov too made a few changes in the squad, starting with the crafty Lalkamal Bhowmick in central midfield so that he could be the mainstay in initiating attacks. However, Akhmedov8217;s plans backfired with the team as a whole failing to test the Koreans much.

In fact, much of the action was about the Indians running after the Koreans, struggling to tame their midfield from breaching the penetrative zone. In the 90 minutes of play, the Indian juniors got no more than two clear chances to score.

The first opportunity came in the 60th minute when Sushil Singh sent a clever back pass to a fast advancing Bhowmick inside the 18-yard box. But Bhowmick produced a shot so ill-directed that for a second it even left the Korean defenders wondering as how could such an opportunity be wasted.

A similar incident happened in the 77th minute when Sushil Singh, after receiving Poshna Poibang8217;s accurate forward through down the middle, shot wide of the goal from inside the box.

The Korean blitz began with S Youngsung8217;s strike in the 75th minute. Deftly catching up to Chung Young8217;s floater from the right, Youngsung tapped the ball in on the run, rushing in from the left, leaving the Indian defenders confused.

Ten minutes on, Song Jinhyoung doubled the lead off a Shin Youngrok square pass from inside the box, even as the Indian defenders looked on in vain. The third and final strike came in the dying minutes when Youngrok struck, heading home a perfect lob from Lee Sanho, as India8217;s custodian Souvik Mondal left the goal open in a failed attempt at clearing the ball.