New Delhi, March 2 (IANS) German captain Maximillan Muller was a relieved man after his team escaped with a 2-2 draw against Asian champions South Korea in their group A opener of the Hockey World Cup.

Germany, who are chasing their third consecutive World Cup title, went into the breather trailing 0-2 but Florian Fuchs (50th) and Benjamin Wess (58) struck in the second half to split points.

'I am happy with the result. We didn't play well in the first half but we came back well in the second half. We wasted several penalty corners which is a matter of concern for us,' Muller said late Monday night.

Asked if they were surprised by the speedy attacks of the South Koreans, Muller said: 'We have played often in the last few years and so we were aware of their style of play. It was only that we were unlucky in converting the penalty corners.'

German coach Markus Weise lauded his boys for being patient.

'Our boys played a waiting game in the second half and were not impatient. I think that worked in our favour. Koreans were good in counter attack but our defence was rock solid as well,' he said.

South Korean captain Ho Jong Seo admitted his team ran out of steam after playing a speedy first half.

'We were tired in the second half after doing a lot of running in the first. We still have a long way to go and I strongly feel that we can make the semis. This tournament will also help us to prepare well for the Asian Games later this year,' he said.