Jakarta: Korea dashed Malaysia's hopes of a maiden Hero Asia Cup trophy as they reigned supreme with a thrilling 2-1 final victory here at the GBK Sports Arena on Wednesday. This is the fifth time the Korean side have lifted the prestigious trophy. They have won the title in 1994, 1999, 2009 and 2013. Having won the Hero Asian Champions Trophy in December last year, Korea looked like a confident bunch going into the final, a place they earned by pipping India in a 3-3 draw on Tuesday. The team, with experienced players, recovered well in time to put up a grand fight against the Malaysian unit who looked poised to win the title race, not having lost a single match in the tournament.
After a goalless first quarter, Korea put Malaysia under the pump with a splendid field goal in the 17th minute. The 1-0 lead certainly put pressure on Malaysia who struggled to find their zing in converting chances. They managed an equalizer in the 25th minute through Syed Cholan that brought some respite in the Malaysian dug out but Korea, who had draw against India 4-4 in a high scoring match, worked their strategy to continue to put pressure on the Malaysian defence. Though the third quarter went goalless, the Korea team's turning point of the match came in the 52nd minute when they scored a quickfire field goal off a fantastic counter attack set up after Malaysia failed to convert back-to-back PCs.