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Korea too good for Sri Lanka

Abhijit Sen Gupta

HYDERABAD: DPR Korea, the top-ranked team in the tournament, showed commendable passing and teamwork as it got the better of Sri Lanka 3-0 in a Group B match of the AFC Challenge Cup football tournament here on Thursday.

The Koreans went into attack from the word go. Their strength lay in accurate passing and superb positional play.

Early setback

The first goal came as early as the 5th minute when Sri Lankan defender Madushka Pieris deflected a corner-kick into his own goal.

Four minutes later came the second goal. This time it was off a free-kick from about 25 yards by Song Chol Pak.

The attacks were relentless. Despite the slippery ground the Korean players managed to control the ball well and execute their moves with great precision.

The passing was a beauty to watch, rarely going to the wrong place or the wrong man. The Sri Lanka defence was hard pressed and the action remained almost continuously in the Sri Lanka half.

The third goal came in the 27th minute when a series of passes near the top of the box by the Korean front-liners ended with the ball being sent to Song Chol Pak stationed about 30 yards from the goal. Song sent a powerful grounder through a maze of defenders into the Sri Lankan net catching the goalkeeper off guard.

Domination continues

The Korean domination continued after change of ends. But by now the Sri Lankan defence put up a more determined show. Crowding the box and countering with timely tackles, they managed to keep the Koreans at bay.

Although Korea got two chances late in the match, Ro Hak Su and Kim Kuk Jin missed the target.

Myanmar drubs Nepal

In the second match of the day, Myanmar trounced Nepal 3-0.

After a dull first half which was a story of missed chances for both sides, Myanmar stepped up its game in the second session and slammed in three goals in quick succession.

The scorers were Yaza Wein Thein (66th), Min Tun Myo (76th) and Soe Myat Min (86th).

Friday’s matches: Tajikistan vs India (4 p.m); Afghanistan vs Turkmenistan (6 p.m.).

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