Arjun Halappa and Michael Green in a tussle during the Azlan Shah meet in Kuala Lumpur on Thursday. (AFP)

Kuala Lumpur: An under-strength India caved in 1-3 to Germany while defending champions Pakistan launched their campaign in style with a comfortable 4-2 win against Korea in the 13th Azlan Shah Cup hockey tournament here Thursday.

India fought bravely in the absence of several key players but failed to get past the European side, which romped home through goals from veteran Bjoern Michel (4th and 7th) and captain Florial Kunz (42nd). Teenager Sandeep Singh struck his first international goal through a drag flick in the 19th minute for India’s lone strike.

Pakistan, on the other hand, made short work of the Asian Games winners with Rehan Butt (2), Nadeem Ahmed and Shabbir Hussain scoring field goals. The Koreans, thanks to a virtual gift goal, replied through Seong Jong Ho and Lee Jung Seon.

India did well to keep their opponents at bay for most part of the match but the forwardline lacked the extra man to stretch the German defence.

That all the four goals in the match came from penalty corners was an apt index of the proceedings that were, at best, scrappy.

The Indian midfield and deep defence, put up a decent show and the rain of goals that was predicted did not materialise. In this context, the junior players deserve some accolades for standing up to the customary physical play of the German giants. The Indians were slow to warm up and found themselves down by two goals by the seventh minute as the Germans converted both the penalty corners they received through Michel and Kunz. However, as the match progressed, India began to settle down and stood up well to the German onslaughts that did not see the usual efficiency. So much so that the Indians, after pulling one back through Sandeep Singh’s penalty corner conversion, should have drawn level soon after.

But Tushar Khandekar put the ball wide with an open goal in front and a fallen goalkeeper Arnold Clemens, who had slipped trying to intercept Baljit Dhillon’s centre from the right. Apart from the goals, the proceedings were rather scrappy and hardly interesting.

Indians need to raise their game on the morrow when they meet arch-rivals Pakistan.

Earlier, Butt drew first blood against Korea when he outran the defence on the right on a Hussain pass to slam in from a difficult angle. In the second-half he dodged past the goalkeeper for another classic strike that would have warmed the hearts of old-timers.

The Korean defence slipped again when Kashif Jawad was left free inside the circle to receive a Butt centre. The ball got deflected to Nadeem who banged it in from the top of the circle. The fourth Pakistani goal had Shabbir converting a Hussain pass with the Korean defence caught flat-footed.

(PTI)