Ragunath Vokkaliga of India scores a goal against South Korea
© AFP Karim Jaafar

DOHA (AFP) - India drew 1-1 with South Korea at the Al Rayyan stadium in a match they had to win to qualify for the semi-finals and now face a real threat of missing the Olympics for the first time.

South Korea, the defending champions, topped group B with 10 points, one more than China who took the other semi-final spot. India finished with seven points.

Pakistan and Japan advanced from group A on a superior goal difference to Malaysia's after all three teams finished the league level on eight points each.

In Tuesday's semi-finals, Pakistan take on China and Japan clash with South Korea with the two finalists booking their place in the Beijing Olympics in 2008.

Malaysia, who trounced Taiwan 9-0 earlier on Sunday, would have moved into the semi-finals had either Pakistan or Japan won the last game.

But both teams preferred to take the safe route of playing in the midfield and did not force even one penalty corner in the entire match.

India bowed out after having made the Asiad gold medal clash on 11 of the past 12 occasions since field hockey was introduced at the Tokyo Games in 1958, winning the title twice in 1966 and 1998.

The only time India missed the final was at Seoul in 1986 when they claimed the bronze behind South Korea and Pakistan.

Japanese hockey player Kazuyuki Ozawa (R) vies with Abbasi Shakeel of Pakistan (L)
© AFP Karim Jaafar

The eight-time Olympic champions now face a potentially hazardous qualifying route to the Beijing Olympics.

India will contest one of the three Olympic qualifying tournaments to be held in Chile, Japan and New Zealand in early 2008 and need to win it to make the trip to Beijing.

The task will not be easy for the Indians, who finished 11th out of 12 teams at the World Cup in Monchengladbach, Germany in September.

Indian coach Vasudevan Bhaskaran, whose year-long tenure ends after the Asian Games, said the failure to reach the semi-finals was a setback.

But he praised the team for putting up a brave fight against the Koreans.

"It was an equal game that could have gone either way," said Bhaskaran, who was captain when India won the last of its eight Olympic golds at the western-boycotted Moscow Games in 1980.

"The 3-2 defeat against China proved vital. It was our only loss in the tournament and that denied us a place in the semi-finals."

Meanwhile, Oman's Hossam Hassan was thrown out of the Games after he assaulted a Bangladeshi rival following his team's 5-3 defeat.

Hassan lashed out at Mamunur Rahman with his hockey stick and hit him below the midriff, sending the Bangladeshi player sprawling to the ground soon after the ill-tempered match ended.

Field hockey tournament director Madhavan Devadas of Singapore said Hassan will not be allowed to play in Oman's classification match against Hong Kong on Tuesday to decide the 9-10 places.

"Hassan has been found guilty of violent conduct and will be suspended for Oman's matches," Devadas said in a statement.

"He will not enter the field of play or technical facilities, including the team bench, in Oman's remaining match against Hong Kong."

Bangladesh captain Musa Mia said: "The Omanis were rubbish, they played a horrible game and were only interested in hitting our players instead of going for the ball."

©AFP