Rewind: When South Korea’s Jang Jong-Hyun Spoiled Pakistan’s Party at 2021 Asian Champions Trophy

Asian hockey ‘really comes alive’ when any Asia-focused international tournament takes place. Rewind to December 2021 Asian Champions Trophy tournament and venue – Maulana Bhasani Hockey Stadium, Dhaka was witness to one of the intriguing hockey tussles between South Korea and Pakistan in a contest that was the semifinal of the tournament.

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In this edge-of-the-seat thriller, South Korean unleashed veteran fullback and ace drag-flicker Jang Jong-Hyun on Pakistan after they were pushed on the backfoot by Greenshirts’ 3rd minute goal. It was left to Jang orchestrate the ‘Korean comeback’ – and he accomplished it in style – scoring two goals in two minutes, converting penalty strokes on both occasions to ensure his side had wrested the initiative from Pakistan in the opening quarter. Seldom do we see hat-tricks being scored in international hockey in the first half itself – the number 25 jersey-wearing Jang enthralled the boisterous crowd at the Maulana Bhasani Hockey Stadium completing his hat-trick in only 25 minutes of play, firing home a drag-flick as South Korea threw caution to the wind even as Pakistan refused to throw in the towel holding a 4-3 half-time lead.

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It was a kind of a match where South Korea looked to run away with the game with a 5-3 lead only to be pegged back by Pakistan, who scored two stupendous final quarterfinal goals to make the scoreline 5-5 after trailing 3-5 towards the end of the third quarter. From hereon, the match could have gone either way with nine minutes left. With four minutes left for the final hooter, South Korea won a shortie and Jang rattled the cage for his fourth goal as the red brigade won 6-5 in a game where eleven goals were scored. Jang’s monumental contributions propelled the Koreans into the final, where they subsequently pipped Japan in the shootout – a game where Jang scored a brace as both teams were locked 3-3 in normal time.

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Jang’s contribution to South Korean hockey is well known – both as a deep defender as well as a fierce drag-flicker – no wonder he is South Korea’s prolific goal-scorer (166 goals from over 300 internationals). The 2021Asian Champions Trophy semifinal against Pakistan would be etched in memories of hockey fans for the way fortunes fluctuated wildly. And yes, he played the ‘party spoiler’ role to near-perfection.