Indian chief hockey coach Joaquim Carvalho was naturally thrilled with his team’s win over Korea in the Asia Cup.

"We are happy with the win. We started a bit slow but forced some penalty corners. We were relying on our skills. The Koreans are fast. But skills hold the edge and we tried to tire them out with our skills," said Carvalho.

"We had to keep our midfield strong. That is why we kept shuffling our midfielders. One can't afford to keep the midfield open. That will give rivals space in the middle. We were attacking and we had about five or six chances in the second half. We also waited for the counters."

Speaking about the skills displayed by the players, Carvalho said: "Raghunath did well in blocking the right side, while Sardara was class and showed good basics. Ignace is also a skillful player and initiated moves. The whole team played well."

There is no doubt that a win like this will certainly boost the morale of the team and make them strong contenders for the semifinal spot. "This win is certainly a morale-booster. Getting nine points and 24 goals in three matches is a good thing. The going is certainly good and we are giving what is expected of us," he added.

Asked what was going through his mind in the last five minutes considering India have lost matches quickly at the end, Carvalho said: "We know the importance of the last five minutes. Now, we know what to do and what not to do."

Indian skipper Prabodh Tirkey too was thrilled and said: "We are all happy. The goals we missed should certainly have been converted.”