India coach Craig Fulton was happy to see his team outsmart defending champions Korea 3-2 to consolidate their position atop the Asian Champions Trophy table at the Mayor Radhakrishnan Hockey Stadium here on Monday. India scored through Nilakanta Sharma (6th min), skipper Harmanpreet Singh (23rd) and Mandeep Singh (33rd) while the Koreans got a goal each through Sunghyun Kim (12th) and Jihun Yang (58th).

Coach Fulton though believed it was a tactical battle more than anything else. “The Koreans are smart, they slowed down the pace and tried to create situations where we succumbed and lost possession of the ball. Fortunately, we kept our shape and did not let their plan succeed,” Fulton told mid-day after the win that confirmed a semi-final berth for the hosts.