Lost souls in Hobart

12/10/2001

By Jugjet Singh in Hobart
HOBART: Seven Malaysian students came to watch Malaysia play a crucial
match against Argentina in the Junior World Cup in Hobart yesterday, and
they even brought along the Jalur Gemilang, but never got a chance to
"raise" the flag because the national juniors played like a group of
clowns, and got whipped.
Argentina 5 Malaysia 0, read a scoreline that emphatically reflected not
only the quality of their game, but also their mental ability to deal with
adversity.
There was no shape in the team at all, and for eighty percent of the
match they looked like lost children trying to find some reason to
continue running aimlessly in the playground.
In the absence of their skipper Chua Boon Huat, who was serving a
suspension for abusing the umpire after the New Zealand match, S.Shanker
wore the skipper's armband.
But it looked like the responsibility weighed too heavily on his lean
shoulder, as he made the most number of errors, one of which resulted in a
goal. And he could hardly rally his team mates to put up a decent show.
Coach Yahya Atan said after the match that Argentina were a far better
side, but from the media stand, it didn't look that way at all. It was
Malaysia who made them look like champions with their silly mistakes, and
giving them too much room to move around.
The shock started in the very first minute when Lucas Cammareri scored
after goalkeeper Saiful Azhar made a save and the ball landed in front of
the unmarked Argentine who looked surprised at how easy it was to get his
name on the score sheet.
That was a clear signal for all to see but the 11 Malaysian players on
the pitch were still brooding over the disallowed goal against New Zealand
on Wednesday and continued playing like lost souls.
And when Marcelo del Negro sored the second in the 16th minute off a
penalty corner set-piece, it was clear that the Malaysian juniors will not
be playing in the second round, but in the losers pool for the remaining
part of the Junior World Cup.
They proved everyone right as the third goal, a result of a comedy of
errors in defence, was scored by Argentine skipper Rodrigo Villa and the
first half ended with Malaysia trailing 3-0, and in no position to put up
a decent fight for the rest of the match.
Except for the penalty stroke which Shaiful saved in the first half, the
rest of the juniors played with a heavy heart as the sky became overcast
and the chilly winds started howling a sad tune.
Those who had any notion that the second half will be different, were
proved wrong just two minutes into the match when a stick-check in the
semicircle awarded Argentina their second penalty stroke. And this time,
Juan E Garreta made sure when Shaiful dived in the wrong direction.
Malaysia continued playing like they were the team with the four-goal
cushion as the Argentine side attacked in numbers. For a good 20 minutes
Malaysia did not have a single look at the Argentine goal because they
were busy defending. Only luck, coupled with some poor finishing by
Argentina made the situation bearable.
And in the 60th minute, del Negro scored his second goal after some fine
dribbling to hammer in the last nail in a sad episode of the Malaysian
juniors history.
"Without Chua Boon Huat, the team lacked a capable leader and played
badly, but credit is also due to the Argentine side which played a superb
attacking game," said Yahya.
"It is a sad day for Malaysian hockey because we have been training for
years but failed to get into the second round. But the boys are still
young and this, although a bitter pill to swallow, should make them into
better players in the future."
Even Argentine coach Alejandro Verga was surprised with the huge margin
: "We did not expect the match to be so easy because Malaysia are a good
side. Maybe the absence of their skipper made the difference for us
today," he said and stopped short of thanking New Zealand for it.
The seven Malaysian students studying in Hobart will be back to watch
Malaysia play Germany on Saturday, and hopefully this time they will get a
chance to wave the national flag. Jugjet@nstp.com.my
RESULTS
GROUP B
FRANCE 1 SOUTH KOREA 1
SOUTH AFRICA 1 HOLLAND 3 GROUP C
INDIA 7 SCOTLAND 1
SPAIN 6 CANADA 1 GROUP D
GERMANY 2 NEW ZEALAND 1
ARGENTINA 5 MALAYSIA 0
(END)