Rajgir (Bihar), Aug 29
Malaysia and defending champions South Korea opened their Pool B campaigns with comfortable wins in the men’s Asia Cup hockey tournament on Friday, though in contrasting styles at the international hockey stadium here.
World No. 12 Malaysia were given an early scare before recovering to beat 29th-ranked Bangladesh 4-1, while holders Korea brushed aside Chinese Taipei 7-0 in a one-sided contest.
Bangladesh struck first against the run of play in the 16th minute when Ashraful Islam converted a penalty corner. The underdogs’ lead, however, lasted only until the 25th minute as Ashran Hamsani restored parity with a fine field goal.