Indian women slipped to their first defeat of the South Korea tour when they went down 2-1 against the hosts in the third match of the five-match series at the Jinchun National Athletic Centre in Seoul on Thursday.
Seul Ki Cheon (12th) and Yirum Lee (14th) found the net for the hosts in the first quarter and though India fought back with a goal from Lalremsiami two minutes later it was not enough to avoid a defeat.
Despite the loss, India lead the series 2-1.
India started the game determined to take an unassailable lead in the series and started the match at a strong pace. But the hosts managed to keep the Indian strikers at bay and Cheon pounced on the first penality corner the team got to break the deadlock.
Two minutes later, India’s defence was breached again through a peanlty corner as Yurim Lee continued her goal-scoring form to make it 2-0 in the 14th minute to claim the bragging rights in the first quarter.
India responded immediately after the break as Lalremsiami reduced the deficit in the 16th minute. The visitors then continued to pound the South Korean goal in search of an equaliser but their goalkeeper Haebin Jung came up with timely saves to keep the series alive.
The fourth match of the series will be played on Friday.