KARACHI, April 27: Arch-rivals Pakistan and India said on Tuesday they were ready to face each other in the Junior Asia Cup hockey final but refrained from predicting who would win the title.
The ten-nation tournament ends in a way the fans wanted, but Pakistan coach Asif Bajwa and his Indian counterpart Harendra Singh said the cup could go to any side. "We love to play India but it is hard to say who will win. Today's victory against Malaysia is the revival of hockey and the best moment in my career," Asif told post-match press conference.
"I hope the boys will not be as over-enthusiastic in the final as they were against Malaysia today. They missed so many chances in the excitement of getting victory," Asif said when asked could his players afford to get overexcited against India.
Though Harendra avoided predicting result of the final, he made it clear that he had a plan to tackle the old rivals. "Both the sides have equal chance to win the cup, but I do have a plan to deal Pakistan side," he said while expressing dissatisfaction over the performance of the forwards against South Korea.
"I was expecting a tough time from the South Koreans. It was not unexpected that the game was extended into penalty stroke session. I am not happy with the forwards who tried to force penalty corners rather than score.
"But I fully give credit to D' Souza for today's win. I will be the happiest coach on earth if we win the cup," Harendra said while considering Pakistani forwards the most potent weapon.
Malaysian coach Sarjit Singh had little to say on his side's defeat against Pakistan. "Pakistan definitely played better and they won," he said at post-match press conference. "The penalty corner striker played major part in Pakistan's victory."
Although defeated by Pakistan, Sarjit said he would be looking for a third place after playing South Korea in the playoff. "Now we will try to take the third place to have a chance to qualify for the Junior World Cup," he added.
South Korea manager Choi Jung-Guk said India was a better and experienced side but did not make an excuse, saying "defeat is a defeat no matter how it come." "We tried our best against the Indians, but we also missed chances. The match was played in a cooler atmospheres. If this match could be played under lights in the evening, the whole tournament could have been played in the evening," he said through an interpreter.
