INCHEON, Sept 30 (AFP): Arch-rivals India and Pakistan set themselves up for a rousing field hockey final at the Asian Games after recording hard-fought semi-final wins Tuesday.
India, seeking their first Asiad title since 1998, played a spirited game to outlast hosts South Korea 1-0, with Akashdeep Singh scoring the winner in the 44th minute from a narrow angle.
Defending champions Pakistan were held to a 0-0 draw by 2010 finalists Malaysia before winning a thrilling penalty shoot-out 6-5.
It needed eight attempts from each side to break the deadlock, with Rashid Mehmood beating Malaysian goalkeeper Kumar Subramaniam for the winner after Tengku Abdul Jalil's shot had been saved by Pakistan's Imran Butt.
The final will be played Thursday with the winner securing a direct entry to the Rio de Janeiro Olympics in 2016.
The Pakistanis, who had failed to qualify for this year's World Cup, were in tears after the match as they hugged coach Shahnaz Sheikh and other team members on the bench.
"God is great," said Sheikh. "This was an important win for us, although I thought the boys were under some pressure during the whole game.
"It should be a very good final against India. We will be ready for them."
Malaysian coach Arul Selvaraj, who was appointed a few months before the Games, praised his team for giving Pakistan a tough fight.
"It is always heartbreaking to lose a game like this, but I am proud of my team," he said. "I could not have asked for more."
The Koreans, the highest ranked Asian team at number eight, had a chance to draw level against India when they earned their only penalty corner of the match two minutes from time, but failed to score.
India's Australian coach Terry Walsh said he was delighted to see his team emerge from a high-pressure match unscathed.
