KUALA LUMPUR: The National hockey squad (Speedy Tigers) bounced back from the humiliating 0-5 defeat to India on Sunday (Aug 6) to beat previous edition’s runner-up Japan 3-1 in the Asian Champions Trophy (ACT) competition played in Chennai, India yesterday.
The win at the Mayor Radhakrishnan Stadium, the National squad’s third in the competition, earned the Speedy Tigers a spot in the semifinals of the 2023 ACT championship.
Coach A. Arul Selvaraj’s charges showed urgency right from the first whistle and deservedly took the lead in the first quarter through defender Muhammad Najmi Farizal Jazlan’s penalty corner strike in the 13th minute.
However, the Malaysian camp were in for some anxious moments when referee Hyosik You disallowed the goal initially for a dangerous hit but after a video referral, the goal was allowed.
The second quarter saw Japan produce a more spirited display and their aggressive play almost resulted in a goal but goalkeeper Mohd Zaimi Mat Deris denied a certain goal from Kaito Tanaka’s 25th minute attempt with a good clearance.
After absorbing the pressure from the Japanese squad throughout the second quarter, the Speedy Tigers extended the lead in the third quarter through a field goal from Meor Muhammad Azuan Hassan in the 37th minute.
The Speedy Tigers dominated the fourth quarter and piled on the pressure and added a third goal through another field goal by Shello Silverius in the 59th minute while Niwa Takuma scored his country’s consolation goal.
The win today gave Malaysia nine points from four matches and helped the team move to the top of the table ahead of India who have six points but have played one match less, while South Korea are third on five points followed by Pakistan (2), Japan (2) and China (1).
Malaysia started their ACT 2023 campaign with a 3-1 win over Pakistan, followed by a 5-1 win over China before losing 0-5 to India but redeemed themselves with a 3-1 win over Japan yesterday.
The Speedy Tigers face South Korea tomorrow (Aug 9).
The top four teams qualify for the semifinals.
Malaysia’s best achievement in the ACT 2023 is a third place finish in five editions, namely 2011, 2012, 2013, 2016 and 2018.
Meanwhile, coach Arul Selvaraj said he was satisfied with how the players controlled the pace and match today because the team’s play was more organised compared with the match against India.
“Tomorrow (Aug 9) we will have a rest day before facing South Korea. We will use the off time to carry out a post-mortem regarding the match against India,” he said in a video clip shared by the Malaysian Hockey Confederation (MHC). – BERNAMA-ANADOLU
