IPOH – South Korea admitted that their defensive tactics were the main reason behind their 2-1 defeat against neighbours Japan in their opening match of the Sultan Azlan Shah Cup today.
The Taegeuks, who have won the Sultan Azlan Shah Cup on three occasions (1996, 2010, and 2019), entered the invitational tournament with zero expectations as they aimed to give exposure to their squad, with an average age of 26.
Head coach Min Tae-seok said that he should have made changes to his side after they conceded two early goals against the Samurais.
“We were indeed very defensive in the match, and that cost us the game.
“However, the reason why we opted for this tactic is that we wanted to conserve our energy for the next games in the tournament. Hence why we chose not to burn out.
“But overall, it was a good match, and our opponents put up a good fight throughout the game.
“It was good exposure for our young players against a formidable side, and we hope to do well in the remaining games of the tournament,” said Tae-seok in a post-match conference.
The Koreans, ranked 11th in the world, missed out on the world’s biggest multisport event after losing to Ireland in a third-place Olympic qualifier in Valencia, Spain in January.
For the record, India was the only Asian team out of 10 countries to qualify for the Paris Olympics.
At the same time, Japan’s head coach Yoshihiro Anai was delighted that his tactics worked in the game and hoped for his charges to maintain their winning momentum for the remainder of the tournament.
“I’m happy that my players followed my tactics, and we made sure that we kept pressuring our opponents without fearing their rankings.
“The team is now balanced with young and senior players, and I’m glad to see that they are playing as a unit against a disciplined Korean side.
“The only thing that we need to improve from today’s match is our penalty corners, and I hope that we can learn as quickly as possible in order for us to finish on a high note in this tournament,” said Anai.
Japan’s goals were scored by Tsubasa Tanaka (13th minute) and Shota Yamada (20th minute) while Lim Do-hyun scored for South Korea in the 52nd minute.
Japan’s best performance in the history of the Sultan Azlan Shah Cup was finishing fourth in the 2022 edition. They lost 5-3 to Pakistan in the playoff for the bronze medal.
The world number 16 side will take on New Zealand in their second match tomorrow while South Korea will take on Pakistan. – May 4,2024