KUALA LUMPUR: Malaysia (Malaysian Tigress) clawed their way back from a one goal deficit to snatch a 1-1 draw against South Korea in their third 2023 Women’s Asian Champions Trophy (ACT) match at the Marang Gomke Jaipal Singh Astroturf Hockey Stadium in India, yesterday.
Nur Afiqah Syahzani Azhar was the toast of the Malaysian Tigress when she nailed a penalty corner strike in the 58th after having trailed South Korea who scored through Seo Suyoung’s penalty corner strike in the 35th minute.
Coach Mohd Nasihin Nubli Ibrahim said he was pleased with the performance of his charges who showed a lot of commitment but acknowledged that careful planning was needed when facing 2022 Hangzhou Asian Games gold medal winners China in their next round robin match tomorrow.
“Alhamdullilah, we managed to earn our first point in the ACT, it was earned through a coordination between the coach and players. The strategy used today worked, especially in the defence which prevented the Koreans from scoring,” he said in a video clip that was shared to the media by the Malaysian Hockey Confederation.
Malaysia started their campaign in the ACT at the wrong end on Oct 27, going down 0-3 to Japan and later losing 0-5 to India on Oct 28.
In the round robin competition comprising six teams, the top four teams qualify for the semifinals scheduled on Nov 4 and 5.
For the record, Malaysia’s best ever achievement in the ACT was a third place finish in 2013 when Japan hosted the trophy in Kakamigahara. – BERNAMA
