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The pulsating action perdured on Day six of the Kabaddi Masters 2018 as seasoned campaigners South Korea took on the mat against the football-dominated nation Argentina at the Al Wasl Sports Club in Dubai, United Arab Emirates.
The two sides came into the match on the back of defeats against the Asian heavyweights in Group B, three-time World Cup runners-up, Iran.
Tuesday's match saw Argentina lose against the Asian giants with a big margin. Korea managed to give a tough fight to Iran in their prior match but ended up losing the game in the end.
South Korea won the thriller match one-sidedly with the scoreline 54-25. The hapless Team Argentina had nothing to lose against Korea but had the opportunity to ruin their party.
Patna Pirates' player Hyunil Park scored the first point of the match as he took a perfect bonus. Nahuel Villamayor was the hero of Argentina as he played incredibly.
The score at the half-time was 32-9 with Korea taking the massive lead of 13 points. Argentina tried its level best to get into the lead but failed to do so.
Argentina pulled off some extraordinary super tackles in the second half but was extremely careless with their defense. Canensia made the most amount of mistakes from Argentina. Even though Argentina did not win a single-match but won many hearts with their upgraded game.
The last match day was not less than a practice session for South Korea as they will take on the invincibles Team India in the semi-finals.
#1 Nahuel Villamayor's enthralling game
The ponytailed-man Nahuel Villamayor played an excellent game against Korea. He would probably win the award for the best super raid of the tournament. He slipped away from Korea's defense as similar to a fish. Everybody was left mind-boggled after his continuous super-duper raids.
He was in an outstanding form throughout the game. He was the best player from Argentina's team in the match. Villamayor became the first player from the non-Asian team to complete his super ten. He wasn't able to show a great game throughout the tournament but impressed us in his last match.
#2 The fatal defense of South Korea
South Korea's defense started showing their merciless game from the beginning of the match. Jo Jae Pil did a remarkable job with his defensive skills.
He kept Argentinian raiders out of the bounds. He contributed in a lot as Korea took a sizeable lead at the end of the first half. Argentina seemed almost feeble in front of the South-Korean defenders. It was clear that they struggled in front of them.
Team's captain and the talismanic player Jang Kun Lee also pitched in and performed an ankle hold on Nahuel Lopez as help arrived from the defenders in the blink of an eye. South Korea will give a tough challenge to the men in blue in the semi-finals.
#3 Team Argentina's conspicuous efforts despite being a new team
Kabaddi was brought in Argentina by their coach Ricardo Acuna back in 1999 after he saw some Indian expats play the game. They played their first international debut in the Kabaddi World Cup 2016. Being an amateur team, they did not win a single match.
They returned for the Kabaddi Masters with full preparation. They failed to win any match here as well but won hearts of every kabaddi enthusiast.
They showcased some great skills here and fought like warriors. They have triggered a hope to do well in future. We might even get to see some of them playing in the next edition of PKL. Looking back to their performance in KWC, they have come a long way.
#4 South Korea's raiders did a marvelous job
South Korea was power-packed with amazing raiders. Jang Kun Lee and Hyunil Park along with Kim Dong Gyu scored a super ten.
They were in a lethal form throughout the match. In the previous matches, South Koreans were dependent on Jang Kun Lee for scoring. They stepped on the mat against Argentina and showed a great game as they helped Jan Kun Lee in the raiding department.
South Korea will face off India in the semi-finals. Having defeated them in the first match of KWC, they can give a repeat performance.
#5 Carelessness shown by team Argentina's defense
Even though team Argentina performed some worth-praising super tackles, their defense was very careless. We got to see a lot of advanced tackles from Canencia due to which Argentina lost the deal.
Kabaddi has turned advanced and such mistakes are not acceptable. We hope to see a better team in the future tournaments.
They are expected to be more careful when they play their next tournament. Argentina played tremendously well in the championship and will hopefully come with a stronger team in the upcoming Kabaddi World Cup which will be played in early 2019.
What did you think about the match between South Korea and Argentina? Sound off your opinion in the comments section below!
