South Korea Men's Hockey Suffers Heavy Defeat to Powerhouse India, Moves to 2-1 in Group Stage

The South Korean men's national field hockey team has suffered its first defeat at the 2026 Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games.

Led by head coach Min Tae-seok, the national team lost 2-8 to powerhouse India in their third Group A match of the preliminary round held at the Kakamigahara Green Stadium in Gifu Prefecture, Japan, on September 24.

South Korea picked up its first loss following two consecutive wins to start the tournament.

India maintained its position at the top of the group with three straight wins.

India, a gold medal favorite, showcased its formidable scoring prowess in the tournament by netting 37 goals while conceding only 4.

Having previously scored 10 goals without conceding any, South Korea surrendered a flurry of goals on this day.

With their strategy to draw against India falling through, South Korea must defeat Japan on September 28 to secure a second-place finish in the group and advance to the semifinals.

South Korea focused on defense but fell behind after giving up four goals in the first quarter alone.

Trailing 0-7 in the third quarter, the national team salvaged a goal through a field goal by Kim Jae-ho (Korea Armed Forces Athletic Corps) and narrowed the deficit further with a goal by Kim Yong-bok (Seongnam City Hall) in the fourth quarter.

South Korea will play its fourth match against Sri Lanka at the same venue on September 26.
(Photo courtesy of the 2026 Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games Organizing Committee, Yonhap News)
※ Please note: This article was translated by AI and may contain errors.