Hangzhou [China], September 20 : The Indian men's volleyball team claimed a 3-2 victory in a dramatic fashion as they edged past South Korea at the Asian Games on Wednesday.
Both teams went toe-to-toe in a match that lasted for the entire five games. Korea took the first game but India bounced back to take a 2-1 lead. South Korea didn't allow the Indian team to take away the game as they took the fourth game. The match went to a fifth game which kept the fans on the edge of their seats as India scripted a thrilling victory.
South Korea took the first game in a hard-fought battle as India tried to mount a comeback right in the final moments of the first game. Junwoo kicked off the proceedings for the Korean team.
They managed to bag three points in a row as the Indian team continued to struggle to match their intensity.
Ashwal Rai struck back and claimed India’s first point by attacking the negative space. Korea continued to maintain the gap till the 13th point.
With the scoreboard reading 9-12 in favour of Korea, India produced a massive block to break the three-point deficit and then make the first game level at 13-13.
The game went on neck to neck, with India maintaining the lead by a single point. India had a two-point lead as they were the first to reach the 20-point mark. Korea increased the intensity of their attack and came from behind to clinch the first game by 25-27.
The second game kicked off with India hoping to keep the game alive with a must-win second-game victory.
It was another neck-to-neck game but India managed to take the lead for the majority of the game and the Korean team tried to make another turnaround. With the game tied 25-25, India held on to their nerves to take the game away by 29-27 with India captain Vinit Kumar picking up consecutive points.
In the third game, India continued to ride high on confidence and took the game with 25-22. India had a comfortable six-point lead (20-14) but their opposition showcased grit and determination to make it 22-18. However, India ensured that South Korea couldn't complete another turnaround as they took the lead of 2-1.
In the fourth game, the tables turned and India were chasing down South Korea's lead throughout the game.
They maintained the lead as India tried to orchestrate a comeback but fell short of clinching the game as well as the entire tie.
With the scores reading 2-2, both teams looked eager to take the final 15-point game. Both teams were determined to give their all. shots were blocked, spikes were made but in the end, it was the Indian defensive block that shut out South Korea's attack to take the game by 17-15 and seal their place in the quarterfinals.
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