India crashed to their fourth successive defeat in theOlympic hockey competition today as they suffered a humiliating 1-4 reversalagainst South Korea.
India are the only team among 12 competing in these OlympicGames without a single point from five matches.
The eight-time gold medallists are now heading for theirlowest-ever finish in the Olympics as they will finish at the bottom of thegroup and will have to play for the 11th and 12th positions.
India's defence showed some resolve to hold on grimlyagainst the fast-paced Koreans, but it crumbled thrice on well-directed penaltycorner shots.
South Korea's gameplan to exert pressure on India with fastoverlapping game produced rewards as the tentative Indian defence againconceded some soft penalty corners.
Indian seemed a more coordinated unit that the previousthree matches, but the their goal fell two times in the last four minutes.
The sustained pressure built by the Koreans midway throughthe first session was an indication of things to follow as India seemeddesperate and fell back to defend their citadel, but they had no mechanism tostop Nam Hyun Woo from converting two penalty corners in the 59th and 70th minutesto shatter the Indian hopes of salvaging some pride.
South Korea took an early lead Jang Jong Hyun converted asixth minute penalty corner by placing a rasping drag-flick just under thecrossbar.
India got the equaliser in the 10th minute on a breakawaymove in which Gurwinder Singh Chandi deflected in Gurbaz Singh's cross fromright into the boards.
Tushar Khandkar had an opening to put India ahead fourminutes later, when he picked up a diagonal ball from Dharamvir Singh insidethe striking circle, but shot straight into the goalkeeper's pads.
It began raining heavily midway through the session andduring this period the South Koreans pushed the Indian defence against thewall.
The Indian defence seemed shaky when South Korea broke infrom the left with short passes and then forced two penalty corners in threeminutes, but Jang shot wide on both occasions.
Three Indian strikers were in the circle with the ball in acounter attack in the 27th minute, but the Korean defenders covered them welland did not allow a good crack at the goal.
India earned their first penalty corner in the the 31stminute, but Sandeep Singh could not take a shot as the ball was no stopped, butSardar Singh innovated to have a shy with a reverse hit that went wide.
Sandeep was not able to make any impression on the Koreandefence even as India earned two successive penalty corners just before thebreather.
The Koreans came back strongly in the second session, butthe Indian defence held on grimly by crowding the circle.
India had a chance to move ahead against the run of play inthe 57th minute when S.V. Sunil's shot from left went across the goalmouth andDharamvir was unable to trap the ball.
Nam scored twice with his penalty corner drag flicks, givingSouth a 2-1 lead in the 59th minute by placing a drag flick into the top cornerof the goal.
India then came out of their shell seeking an equaliser, buta counter attack saw captain Lee Seung Il shoot home from the top of the box toput it beyond India.
But the Koreans had not finished their task and Nam cameback to rub the salt into India's wounds with a low minute penalty corner flickin the last minute that sounded the boards.