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Harvinder Singh (left) in training with brother Kelvinder Singh.
TWENTY-YEAR-OLD Harvinder Singh scored five seconds before the final hooter to hand Kuala Lumpur their 19th Razak Cup title when they beat Perak 1-0 at the Kuantan Stadium yesterday.
“We only lost one match in this tournament and sadly it was at the final stage and the title slipped from our grasps.
“However, I am still proud of my players as they played well, only the finishing was lacking today (yesterday),” said Perak coach Manjit Singh.
Kuala Lumpur coach Nor Saiful Zaini said: “We were blunt in attack, and credit is also due to Perak goalkeeper Roslan who stopped many of our attempts. The final was well balanced, and even though we had to wait until the final seconds, the feeling is great.”
Kuala Lumpur took the match to Perak in the early stages but their forwards Tajol Rosli and Mahinder Singh fumbled in the semi-circle in their haste to take an early lead.
Perak soaked in the pressure and relied on counter attacks which earned them three penalty corners in the first half, but Hairul Nizam’s attempts were blocked well by KL runners.
KL, with the best penalty corner flicker in the country Amin Rahim on their side, went into the dressing room without winning a single corner and looked a little jaded after all the hard running.
After the breather, Kuala Lumpur were at the receiving end as Perak upped the tempo but still failed to score even though they were awarded five penalty corners but Amin and Razie Rahim’s attempts were either stopped or went wide.
And just when the match was heading towards extra-time, Nabil Fiqri made a pass to M. Kaliswaran who made a flat pass to Harvinder Singh.
There was only five seconds remaining on the clock, and Harvinder raced towards Perak goalkeeper Roslan Jamalud din and flicked the ball over him and into the goal mouth for the 48th Razak Cup title.
In the Division One bronze playoff, last year’s champions Malacca came back after trailing 2-0, with a hat-trick from former national player Chua Boon Huat.
Johor took the lead off Baljit Singh Sarjab in the 14th and increased the lead off Joel Samuel van Huizen in the 20th minute, while the third goal was scored by Shaheeb Shah in the 54th minute.
Chua made it count in the 30th, 43rd and 66th minutes and Amirullah Zainul scored the other for Malacca in the 65th minute.
In the Division Two final, hosts Pahang beat Singapore 2-0 with goals from Mohamed Al-Fadhir Kasim in the 49th and Ahmad Kazamirul in the 54th minute.
ROLL-OF-HONOUR: Best Player of the Tournament: Abdul Hakim Adnan (KL); Top Scorer: Noor Khairul Azrain (Perak, six goals); Best Goalkeeper: Roslan Jamaluddin (Perak); Best Player of the Final: Harvinder Singh (KL); Fair Play: Penang. RESULTS: Division One Final: Perak 0 Kuala Lumpur 1, Third-Fourth; Malacca 4 Johor 3.
Division Two Final: Singapore 0 Pahang 2, Third-Fourth: Terengganu 6 Police 3.
Seul Ki Cheon’s penalty corner game-winning goal in the 65th minute guides Korea to victory and the 2010 World Cup; as host USA finished in second place and Belgium finished in third.
In front of a large crowd in San Diego, California, USA, Korea and host USA played in the final match of the ATAHolding Qualifier, for first and second place; and most importantly, an at-large bid to the 2010 World Cup in Rosario, Argentina.
From the opening whistle the match was a hard fought battle between two strong teams.
In the first half, Korea held the slight edge in possession and attacking pressure and in the second half it was the USA. The first score came late in the first half off a Jongeun Kim penalty corner goal that put the halftime score at Korea 1, USA nill.
In the second half, a penalty corner goal by USA Captain Carrie Lingo tied the match 1-1 in the 43rd minute.
After tying the match, host USA carried the momentum and attacking pressure for must of the rest of the half.
Seul Ki Cheon’s penalty corner goal in the 65th minute gave Korea the 2-1 lead and also changed the momentum of match. The USA’s Lauren Crandall was awarded a yellow card in the 68th minute.
A minute later, Korea’s Kim notched her second goal of the match off a field goal to make the final score Korea 3, USA 1.
Following the final match, a series of tournament awards were handed out. Top scorer: Sofie Gierts (BEL); Player of the tournament: Mihyun Park (KOR); Best goalkeeper: Amy Tran (USA); Best young player: Anna Kozniuk (CAN) and; Fair play trophy: Mexico (team).
| Day 9 - Saturday | 03-04-2010 09:30 | France | 3 : 1 | Mexico |
| Day 9 - Saturday | 03-04-2010 12:05 | Belgium | 2 : 1 | Canada |
| Day 9 - Saturday | 03-04-2010 14:30 | Korea | 3 : 1 | USA |
Final Positions
1. Korea (Qualified for World Cup in Rosario)
2. USA
3. Belgium
4. Canada
5. France
6. Mexico
KUALA Lumpur will be gunning for their 19th title, while Perak aim to end their 18-year drought in the Division One final of the Razak Cup in Kuantan today.
Perak, who last won the title in 1992 in Terengganu, are the better side on paper, even though KL have six national players on their side.
“I had more time to train the team this year, and the difference is there. We have a well balanced side, and I feel we will finally end our wait in Kuantan tomorrow (today),” said Perak coach Manjit Singh.
Perak’s top-scorer is 21-year-old Junior World Cup player, Noor Khairul Azrain, who has six to his credit after six matches.
As for Kuala Lumpur, they will again rely on national penalty corner flicker Amin Rahim, who has also scored six goals and together with Khairul is in the running for the top scorers award.
KL coach Nor Saiful Zaini feels his players have not been up to the mark, and hopefully they wake up in the final.
“We are in the final, but I am still not happy with the way we played in the last six matches as my players performed in patches.
“Hopefully they get their act together in the final, as Perak have an unbeaten record in this tournament,” said Nor Saiful.
RESULTS: Division Two semi-finals: Singapore 3 Tereng ganu 3 (Singapore win on golden goal), Pahang 4 Police 2.
TODAY: Division One Final: Perak v Kuala Lumpur (8pm), Third-Fourth; Malacca v Johor (5.30pm).
Division Two Final: Singapore v Pahang (3.30pm), Third-Fourth: Terengganu v Police (8am)
Matches at the Kuantan Stadium.
Harvinder Singh (left) in training with brother Kelvinder Singh.
