A goal in each half from successful penalty corner executions gave the Koreans full points. The Koreans had in their opening match on Sunday beaten the United States 8-0 while the Malaysians scored a 1-0 win over England.
The Koreans went on the offensive from the start yesterday and their speed play had the Malaysians reeling in defence.
And they did not have to wait long to take the lead. They earned their first penalty corner in the fifth minute and Kang Moon-kyu deflected home the drag flick taken by Lee Woo-geun.
The Malaysians were kept pegged in defence and conceded another three penalty corners. But some very close defending prevented the Koreans from stretching the lead. Malaysia had just one good shot at goal in the 21st minute.
In the second half, Malaysia tried to take the fight to the Koreans but it soon fizzled out.
The Koreans pushed forward and earned another penalty corner in the 55th minute. This time, Jeong Yun-sang beat goalkeeper Abdul Hakim Adnan with a low flick.
Malaysia coach K. Rajan said that the Koreans’ better execution of the penalty corners made the difference.
“It is not over yet for us. We still have two more matches to go and the second-round berth is still in sight,” he said.
In another Group C match, European champions Spain began their campaign with a 9-0 win over the US.
The Spaniards had total control of the match. Gabriel Debanch scored a hat-trick and Salvador Piera had a brace. The other scorers were Javier Garcia, Diego Arana, Roc Oliva and Xavier Lleonart.
Spanish coach Salvador Indurain said that they were happy to start off convincingly.
“The tougher matches are coming up and that is where the results will matter most.
“We took our time to settle down but it all went as planned once we got the first goal.”
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