By IANS
Chennai : Japan shocked Pakistan for the first time in 100 years with a 3-1 victory in a Pool A match of the BSNL Asia Cup Hockey tournament here Saturday, while in a Pool B match, South Korea bludgeoned a hapless Thailand 16-0.
The Pakistanis looked jaded, listless and were extremely slow, allowing the players from Japan to swamp and cramp them easily.
Ono Tomonori opened the account for the Japanese in the 29th minute emerging from an unmarked position and slamming the ball home from a distance of a little under 20 feet.
At half-time, the scorecard had the single goal.
Pakistani coach Islahuddin Siddiqui held an animated discussion with his team during the lemon break, egging them on to play faster and better.
The Japanese were playing a rough game and were regularly being booked by umpire Michiel Bruning – a situation that could be capitalised, Islahuddin admitted telling his boys later.
But the intermission didn’t improve the situation at all.
In the 42nd minute, Yamabori Takahiko converted a penalty corner making it 2-0 for Japan.
Seeing the game slipping away from them, Pakistanis found some energy and were rewarded five minutes later when Shakeel Abbasi – named Man of the Match Friday – blasted the ball into the box to reduce the margin.
But, that was where the good news ended for Pakistan.
Almost immediately, Imran Khan’s beautiful pass from the left flank was struck solidly by Tariq Aziz but it rebounded off the post.
Three minutes later, the Japanese compounded Pakistan’s agony when forward Tomonori scored a second time.
Both sides missed chances after that, but the Japanese were ahead by two goals and that was all that mattered.
Speaking to journalists after the match, Japanese Coach Nagaya Kyoichi admitted that he was surprised by the result.
“We had never beaten Pakistan in the 100-year history of our presence in the international hockey arena. For us, playing against top teams like India, Pakistan and Korea are dreams come true. But when we succeed in beating them, it is a bonus,” Kyoichi said.
Echoing the sentiments, Japanese skipper Yamabori Takahiko added that after having tasted such success, the team would like to win the tournament.
On his part, Siddiqui spread his hands in embarrassment and said: “While we missed our chances, our opponents capitalised on whatever came their way. In spite of five Japanese players being booked (two were shown yellow cards and three were given the green) we could not use their predicament to our advantage.
“To merely say that I am shocked by this result would be an understatement. But, when it is not one’s day, no matter what you do in the field, the opponent will beat you,” Siddiqui held.
Explaining his team’s poor physical fitness on the field Saturday, Siddiqui said that five players were new and were finding their feet in the arena.
“Further, we have been playing continuously for almost five months now. Some burnout was inevitable. But that still doesn’t mean that we can afford to lose to a team like Japan,” Siddiqui added.
In the outing between South Korea and Thailand, Kim Byung Hoon who had put up a good show Friday, used it to the fullest extent by not only opening the team’s account in the seventh minute, but also scoring four goals during the match.
Captain Seo Jong Ho made merry as well, scoring a double brace.
Playing away from the main venue in the wooded YMCA premises, the Thais were simply slaughtered by the merciless South Koreans.
After a halftime score of 7-0, the ruthless South Koreans scored nine more goals to compete the tally.