Tuesday, Oct 08, 2002
Tuesday, Oct 08, 2002 |
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Asian Games
By S. Thyagarajan
Japan 2 China 1
Complete lack of depth in the attack undid all the splendid work of the defence, including the intrepid display under the bar by the goalkeeper Tingoliema Chanua. The Koreans were kept frustrated by the failure to convert as many as six penalty corners in the first half by the Indian defence. Here Amandeep Kaur was prominent, along with Sita Gussein in the mid-field and supported by Suraj Lata Devi. But how long could a defence sustain itself against the pace, precision and power of the moves generated by the Koreans? Almost from the push off, the Koreans relied on their speed. Symbolising this was attacker Oh Ko Woon who wove patterns around the rival defenders. She managed to sneak in a goal late in the first half from a penalty corner rebound after Tingaleima stopped a shot from Kim Yoon Min. Any expectation of a pull off by the Indians in the second half was snuffed when Kim Yoon Mi hit in a penalty corner. As the defence began to wither, the Koreans slammed three more in a space of nine minutes, through Li Mi Seong, and Kim Yung Jung, who scored two goals. Korea tops the table with six points followed by China and Japan with three each. India has no points from two matches. An upset of the first magnitude occurred when the winner of the Champions Trophy was humbled by a determined Japan by the odd goal in three. It was an appropriate verdict and a just reward for the technical and tactical excellence that the Japanese girls showed. More than anything, it was the fighting spirit exuded by everyone in the squad that underlined the Japanese triumph over the much fancied rival, perceived as the Olympic medallist at Athens or at least in Beijing when it hosts the Olympiad in 2008. China had many chinks in its armour, which included loose marking, lack of consistency in the mid-field and haphazard work in the deep defence. The match also showed that the irrepressible goalkeeper, Lie Yali, who braved the strokes against Argentina in the Champions Trophy at Macau, could be deceived and beaten, not once but twice. China dominated in the in the first half and had as many as five penalty corners. But the stoic resistance by the Japanese defence, notably by Erika Esaki in the mid-field and Chie Kumera, smothered all the pressure. Goalkeeper Terazono also contributed her mite in the effort. Japan struck against the run of play late in the first half when Yuka Ogura tapped in a cross by Morimoto. The players pooled in all their resources to stay on course. China did comeback into the match with the equaliser, an exquisite solo effort by Chan Ling Tang early in the second half. But Japan slotted what turned out to be the match winner within minutes when an unmarked Morimoto seized a loose ball inside the circle and slotted home the goal. Japan has a match remaining with India on October 9 with China taking on the host on the same day. Tuesday is a rest day.
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