The Koreans started off confidently in this Group A match and were happy to sit back and keep the Malaysians at bay in the first half until the homesters scored in the 35th minute.
Ismail Abu latched on to a long pass and slotted the ball in at close range.
This woke up the Koreans and they attacked in waves in the second half. Their domination resulted in three penalty corners but all came to nought.
A quick counter in the 53rd minute allowed Kim Byubg-hoon to score the equaliser from a field goal.
Malaysian goalkeeper S. Kumar played a good game in the second half to stop no less than what seemed like four sure goals. At the other end, Malaysia had a golden opportunity in the 63rd minute when S. Selvaraju’s attempt was saved on the line by goalkeeper Lee Myung-ho.
For both sides, the first half was scrappy as neither team could wrest control in midfield.
Jiwa Mohan, playing his first match for Malaysia since coming back from retirement, was employed as a defensive midfielder and played his part well.
Malaysia’s coach Tai Beng Hai said that it was a good result for them considering South Korea’s standing in the world rankings.
“It was a tough match and we are satisfied with the result. It keeps us in the semi-final race and it is now in our hands to make the grade.
“All the players played their parts well and we also had several chances to score. Of course we are disappointed at not getting any penalty corners. We have to work on this aspect,” said Beng Hai.
In Group B, Pakistan almost paid the price for their insipid performance against China.
The Chinese took a 61st minute lead through Hu Hui Ren off a field attempt. And they were on the verge of an upset until Pakistan found the equaliser with just 40 seconds left on the clock.
Akhtar Ali scored off a goal-mouth melee as the Chinese defenders tried in vain to clear the ball quickly.
Pakistan meet India today and a defeat will dent their semi-final hopes.
Pakistan coach Shahid Ali Khan said that they will be under pressure in the match against India.
“There is no doubt that we will be playing under stress as we need to win the match badly. We played badly today against China and were lucky to have got the draw.
“The humid conditions affected my players and we could not counter China’s defensive game plan,” said Shahid.
Malaysia: S. Kumar, Chua Boon Huat, Mohamed Amin Rahim, Mohamed Madzli Ikmar, Mohamed Shahrun Nubli, Mohamed Shukri Mutalib, Ismail Abu, Azlan Misron, Kelvinder Singh, Jiwa Mohan, Mohamed Fiqri Mohamed Nor.
Reserves: Baljit Singh, Jivan Mohan, Mohamed Faairus Wanasir, Hafifihafiz Hanafi, S. Selvaraju.
South Korea: Lee myung-ho, Lee Sing-ii, Oh Dan-keun, Lee Nam-yong, You Hyo-sik, Yoon Sung-hoon, Park Hyung-bong, Kim Byung-hoon, Hyun Hye-sung, Cha Jong-bok, Hong Eun-seong.
Reserves: Ro Jung-hwan, Jin Kyung-min, Kang Seong-hwan, Yeo Chang-Yong, Nam Hyun-woo.
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