IPOH – Following its disappointing campaign at the Sultan Azlan Shah Cup, South Korea will shift its focus to becoming the champions of the Men’s Nations Cup in Poland.
The Nations Cup is scheduled to take place from May 31 to June 9, with the Koreans being grouped with Austria, New Zealand, Poland, and South Africa in Pool A.
The Taegeuks, who have won the Sultan Azlan Shah Cup three times (1996, 2010, and 2019), entered the invitational tournament with zero expectations, intending to give exposure to their young squad, with an average age of 26.
The world’s 12th-ranked side finished fifth in this year’s edition, after defeating Canada 4-1 in the fifth and sixth place classification match at the Azlan Shah stadium today.
South Korea’s goals were scored by Kong Yoonho (15th minute), Lim Dohyun (16th), Seo Inwoo (17th), and Jung Hyunho (24th).
Canada’s only goal was scored by Harbir Sidhu in the 50th minute via a penalty corner.
Head coach Min Tae-seok said that he’s hoping his charges learn from their flaws, using the remaining weeks to mould themselves for the Nations Cup.
“We were happy with our performance today and we are also pleased to execute our penalty corners with ease.
“All we need to do right now is learn from our flaws and prepare ourselves in the next few weeks for the Nations Cup.
“We are a young team, and this Sultan Azlan Shah Cup was a perfect tournament for us to prepare ourselves for more significant success in the future.
“We may include a few of our senior players in the Nations Cup, such as Jang Jong-hyun, and we will be rotating the team to avoid any injuries in the tournament,” said Tae-seok during the post-match conference.
The 40-year-old Jong-hyun has been South Korea’s main flicker since making his debut for the national team in 2004.
The Olympian, who participated in the 2004 Athens, 2008 Beijing, and 2012 London Olympics, has scored a total of 139 goals in 314 appearances, with 73.2% of his goals coming from penalty corners.
Meanwhile, Canada’s hockey head coach Patrick Tshutshani said that he hopes to lead his side to a third-place finish in the Nations Cup.
“Finishing in the final third of the tournament is going to be our biggest goal for now, and we will be working hard for it in the next few weeks.”
“We are a young team, and we are building a strong team for the 2028 Los Angeles and 2032 Brisbane Olympics, and we can’t rush the process as it will take at least six to eight years for us to achieve our target,” said Tshutshani.
Canada, ranked 20th in the world, is grouped with France, Malaysia, and Pakistan in Pool B in the Nations Cup. – May 11, 2024
