A brace from Suk Yu Seong kept Korea in the front following a 5-2 victory over Oman in the Men’s Junior Asia Cup Group B match at the Wisma Belia Stadium.
The Koreans grabbed a 2-0 half time lead with goals from Suk Yu (10th) from a penalty corner and Seo Woo Hyeong two minutes later via a field goal to stay on top of the Omanis who prior to the tournament were exposed to a three-week training stint in Netherlands and Germany.
Oman, coached by former German Olympian Oliver Michael Kurtz, rallied back strongly to pull back a field goal through Mohammad Al-Lawati much four minutes into the second half much to the cheers from the small gallery of their supporters.
“We made a good start despite going on the defensive in the early part of the game,” said Korean coach Jang Jun Min. “They (players) are getting used to the conditions here and we expect a tough match against Pakistan but what’s important is the players are showing good combination.”
But the day belonged to the Koreans who were far more composed than their opponents and found the net in the 44th and 53rd minutes through Seong Yu and Seong Jae Kim from penalty corners to take a 4-1 commanding lead.
Salmeen Al Nofali gave Oman the much anticipated goal late in the game with a 62nd minute strike but the Koreans sealed it beyond doubt with a 5-2 win from Kim Sung Yeob goal two minutes before the end.
Korea goes into a tough encounter against Pakistan tomorrow in this Group B tie which will determine the group leaders in this early stage of the tournament and a ticket to the November 21 semi-finals.
Oman head coach Kurtz was simply modest when he said: “My players showed glimpses of good hockey and that is very satisfying. It is just their biggest match since we had this team one year ago and I am confident they can only get better and improve.”