Full time: India 2-3 Korea The title defence comes to an end. India took the lead in the game but Korea mounted a strong fightback to score 3. A late goal gave India hope but it finishes in favour of Korea. India will face the loser from China-Japan match to decide 3/4th place. All these four teams have qualified for the World Cup.

Q4: India 2-3 Korea: Final minutes of the game and Vandana gets herself a green card.

Q4: India 2-3 Korea: Goal, India! Lalremsiami pulls one back for India and with six minutes to go, hope for India. Brief celebrations for the Indians before they rush back... need another here quickly. Six minutes to go in the match. Korea have a PC down the other end in no time, but that is defended well.

Q4: India 1-3 Korea: A couple of minutes is all it took for the match to swing big time. End of Q3, start of Q4... India in deep trouble. Korea just came out for the second half in attacking mode and India caught on the backfoot. Lalremsiami nearly pulls one back for India but Koreans defend strongly. Going on the attack now will let Korea counter more as well.

Q4: India 1-3 Korea: Goal, Korea! A disastrous end to Q3 and start to Q4 for India. Savita Punia might feel she could have done better perhaps but the defence hasn’t helped out either. CHO Hyejin the scorer, finishing a field goal chance through the Indian goalkeeper’s pads.

Q3, India 1-2 Korea: Goal, Korea! Not long after Savita Punia does well to keep the scores level, Koreans come forward again and take the lead. Problems for the defending champs. LEE Seung Ju the scorer. That brings the end to the quarter as well.

Q3, India 1-1 Korea: OH THAT DIDN’T MISS BY MUCH! Brilliant drag flick, low to the GK’s right by Gurjit. But the Koreans hang on.

Q3, India 1-1 Korea: A significant break in play, for an Indian referral. And it does result in a PC.

Q3, India 1-1 Korea: Korea have started the 2nd half really well.

Q3, India 1-1 Korea: Goal, Korea! Savita does well to save the drag flick but the resulting scrap somehow sees Korea push the ball past her and into the back of the net. Scrappy, scrappy goal to concede.

Q3, India 1-0 Korea: A PC for Korea early in the second half.

Q3 begins, India 1-0 Korea: Can Savita and Co build on a good first half?

HALF TIME IN MUSCAT: India 1-0 Korea. Neha has been one of the brightest spots in the opening half (despite her green card) and fittingly gives India the lead.

Q2, India 1-0 Korea: GOAL INDIA! Pressure pays off finally. After a couple of PC opportunities, India keep the attack going and finally from a scrappy piece of play, a smart chance is created and Neha applies the finish. Deservingly it must be said but they just about hung on in the Q2 for a while.

Q2, India 0-0 Korea: PC for India, almighty scrap after it. India tried a push to far post... results in another PC.

Q2, India 0-0 Korea: Korea too down to 10 not long after. A bit cagey at the moment this match.

Q2, India 0-0 Korea: Green card for Neha. India down to 10 for a couple of minutes. Good phase for Korea.

Q2, India 0-0 Korea: Captain Savita to India’s rescue! For all India’s pressure, it is Korea who nearly take the lead but the Indian goalkeeper produces the save first from the PC situation where Korea seemed to work a variation and deals with a rebound.

Q2, India 0-0 Korea: India still the better side, fashion a couple of good positions in the early phase but need to take the lead to show for it. And just as we say that, a PC for Korea.

Q2 begins. India went close a couple of times, even scored once but for it to be ruled out. No goals in this so far but India the better side. Korea do look dangerous on the counter.

End of Q1, India 0-0 Korea: No PC... not 100% sure but Korea might have lost their referral there. Soon after a big chance for India down the other end, great save from a reverse hit. End of Q1.

Q1, India 0-0 Korea: Just over a minute left in the quarter, Korea fashion a chance in India’s circle. Savita up to the task.... but this might end up being a Korea PC.

Q1, India 0-0 Korea: It looked like India opened the scoring after Monika and Mariana set up a great chance for Lalremsiami who made no mistake from close range. But seems like the goal has been ruled out. Not quite sure what happened there. Maybe a foul in the lead-up...

Q1, India 0-0 Korea: India have started well in this match, on the front foot pretty much from word go. But Korea starting to push forward now, to release some pressure.

Q1, India 0-0 Korea: PC for India. The conversion from setpieces has been bit of a concern by Gurjit got herself a hat-trick in the previous match. This is a nice drag flick, on target. But saved.

Q1, India 0-0 Korea: Pushback in Muscat!

05.45 pm: Hello and welcome to our live coverage of the Women’s Asia Cup Hockey semifinal between India and South Korea.

The four teams in semifinal action today have secured their places at the FIH Hockey Women’s World Cup Spain and Netherlands 2022.

By finishing in the top two positions in their respective pools, Japan (FIH World Ranking: 13), India (WR:9), China (WR:12) and Korea (WR:10) will now meet in the semi-finals of the competition and have also secured the four automatic qualification spots available from this continental qualifier.

It is currently Japan and Korea who are flying high. Both teams are undefeated so far, with Japan putting in the most striking performance when they defeated reigning champions India 2-0 in a pool A match. Korea’s 4-0 demolition of China was also an impressive performance, which left Korea top of Pool B.

In the final day of pool action, China defeated Indonesia (WR:7-0; Korea beat Thailand (WR:29) 6-0; Japan were 8-0 victors against Malaysia (WR:20); and India put nine goals past Singapore (WR:41), to win 9-1.

At this stage of the competition, Korea’s Cheon Eunbi is topping the goal scorers’ table with five goals; Japan’s Shihori Oikawa is currently one goal behind.

(With FIH inputs)

(Screenshots courtesy FIH / Watch.Hockey)