NEW DELHI: Defending champions South Korea secured a hard-fought 2-1 victory over Japan in the opening match of the Asian Champions Trophy at the Mayor Radhakrishnan Hockey Stadium in Chennai on Thursday.
The game began with an early goal in the sixth minute scored by Ryoma Oooka, giving Japan the lead. However, South Korea responded well, and Cheoleon Park managed to equalise in the 26th minute, resulting in a 1-1 scoreline at halftime.
In the third quarter, just five minutes after the restart, JungHoo Kim of South Korea found the back of the net, putting his team in the lead.
Despite relentless attacks from the Korean side, the Japanese defence held firm and managed to maintain their advantage, securing the three points with a final score of 2-1.
During the match, Raiki Fujishima of Japan received a yellow card in the 14th minute, while Manjae Jung of Korea was shown a green card in the seventh minute.
(With PTI inputs)
