MALAYSIAN Rock Queen Ella (left) and her sister Jojie with TimeSport journalist Jugjet Singh after her performance at the 19th Azlan Shah Cup tonight. She sang during the half-time, and Malaysia drew 3-3 with Pakistan after taking a 3-1 lead.Thursday, May 6, 2010
Ella, Jojie and a handsome bloke...
MALAYSIAN Rock Queen Ella (left) and her sister Jojie with TimeSport journalist Jugjet Singh after her performance at the 19th Azlan Shah Cup tonight. She sang during the half-time, and Malaysia drew 3-3 with Pakistan after taking a 3-1 lead.
Korea at the top
DAY 1 STANDINGS
P W D L F A Pts
KOREA 1 1 0 0 6 0 3
MALAYSIA 1 0 1 0 3 3 1
PAKISTAN 1 0 1 0 3 3 1
INDIA 1 0 1 0 1 1 1
CHINA 1 0 1 0 1 1 1
EGYPT 1 0 0 1 0 6 0
AUSTRALIA 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
RESULTS: South Korea 6 Egypt 0, China 1 India
1, Pakistan 3 Malaysia 3.
FIXTURES: Today -- Australia v Egypt (4.05pm), Pakistan v India
(6.05pm), South Korea v Malaysia (8.05pm).
Tomorrow: REST DAY.
SUNDAY: South Korea v India (4.05pm), Pakistan v China (6.05pm), Australia v Malaysia (8.05pm).
P W D L F A Pts
KOREA 1 1 0 0 6 0 3
MALAYSIA 1 0 1 0 3 3 1
PAKISTAN 1 0 1 0 3 3 1
INDIA 1 0 1 0 1 1 1
CHINA 1 0 1 0 1 1 1
EGYPT 1 0 0 1 0 6 0
AUSTRALIA 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
RESULTS: South Korea 6 Egypt 0, China 1 India
1, Pakistan 3 Malaysia 3.
FIXTURES: Today -- Australia v Egypt (4.05pm), Pakistan v India
(6.05pm), South Korea v Malaysia (8.05pm).
Tomorrow: REST DAY.
SUNDAY: South Korea v India (4.05pm), Pakistan v China (6.05pm), Australia v Malaysia (8.05pm).
Malaysia blow up in 3-3 draw
MALAYSIA blew their chances of a super start when they were held 3-3 by Pakistan in the 19th Azlan Shah Cup in Ipoh yesterday.
Malaysia went into the dressing room locked 1-1 with Pakistan, but a half-time performance from Queen of Rock Ella woke them up and they took a 3-1 lead, but collapsed in the final minutes of the match, letting in the third goal just 20 seconds from regulation time.
Malaysia failed to settle down in the first five minutes of the match and paid dearly after a poor shot was converted into goal.
It was only the fourth minute, and Malaysian players were hopping around as if the artificial pitch was a hot-plate. Pakistan broke into the semi-circle and a weak shot from Shahzad Amir was tamely crossing the Malaysian galmouth but just as it was heading out, Rasool Shafqat tucked the ball in.
The national players, to their credit, threw caution to the wind and started making a concerted effort to break even.
They earned the first penalty corner in the eight minute, but Pakistan runners were too fast and picked the ball with ease, and it was the same script a minute later in their second penalty corner, as the runners stopped Amin Rahim dead.
But Malaysia, wiser after two attempts, made good use of the third penalty corner. This time a set-piece, instead of a direct flick was used. Amin pushed to Hafifihafiz Hanafi and he connected for the equaliser which held until the breather.
And after a tantalising performance from Ella for 10 minutes during the break, Malaysia mounted some serious attacks and in the 50th minute, Tengku Ahmad Tajuddin won the fourth penalty corner.
This time, Amin flicked low to beat goalkeeper Imran Butt for the lead.
And the fans were rewarded with a another pulsating attack in the 51st minute, which led to Hafifihafiz scoring his brace and Malaysia's third goal.
However, Pakistan pulled one back in the 56th minute, when a misunderstanding during a penalty corner saw Muhammad Irfan tucking in the ball.
And with 20 seconds left, Muhammad Zubair scored the equaliser and Malaysia had only one point to show after all the hard work.
Pakistan coach K.M. Junaid said: "It was a great comeback for my team, as when we were 3-1 down, it looked like a lost cause. But my young players, 12 of whom played in the Junior World Cup, showed that they have a promising future."
Malaysian coach Stephen van Huizen was naturally disappointed with the outcome.
"It was not a good start for us as we let in a soft goal, then took a 3-1 lead but were not smart enough to hold the ball and keep possession, which cost us two points."
Malaysia went into the dressing room locked 1-1 with Pakistan, but a half-time performance from Queen of Rock Ella woke them up and they took a 3-1 lead, but collapsed in the final minutes of the match, letting in the third goal just 20 seconds from regulation time.
Malaysia failed to settle down in the first five minutes of the match and paid dearly after a poor shot was converted into goal.
It was only the fourth minute, and Malaysian players were hopping around as if the artificial pitch was a hot-plate. Pakistan broke into the semi-circle and a weak shot from Shahzad Amir was tamely crossing the Malaysian galmouth but just as it was heading out, Rasool Shafqat tucked the ball in.
The national players, to their credit, threw caution to the wind and started making a concerted effort to break even.
They earned the first penalty corner in the eight minute, but Pakistan runners were too fast and picked the ball with ease, and it was the same script a minute later in their second penalty corner, as the runners stopped Amin Rahim dead.
But Malaysia, wiser after two attempts, made good use of the third penalty corner. This time a set-piece, instead of a direct flick was used. Amin pushed to Hafifihafiz Hanafi and he connected for the equaliser which held until the breather.
And after a tantalising performance from Ella for 10 minutes during the break, Malaysia mounted some serious attacks and in the 50th minute, Tengku Ahmad Tajuddin won the fourth penalty corner.
This time, Amin flicked low to beat goalkeeper Imran Butt for the lead.
And the fans were rewarded with a another pulsating attack in the 51st minute, which led to Hafifihafiz scoring his brace and Malaysia's third goal.
However, Pakistan pulled one back in the 56th minute, when a misunderstanding during a penalty corner saw Muhammad Irfan tucking in the ball.
And with 20 seconds left, Muhammad Zubair scored the equaliser and Malaysia had only one point to show after all the hard work.
Pakistan coach K.M. Junaid said: "It was a great comeback for my team, as when we were 3-1 down, it looked like a lost cause. But my young players, 12 of whom played in the Junior World Cup, showed that they have a promising future."
Malaysian coach Stephen van Huizen was naturally disappointed with the outcome.
"It was not a good start for us as we let in a soft goal, then took a 3-1 lead but were not smart enough to hold the ball and keep possession, which cost us two points."
Korea impressive, India flop
ASIAN champions South Korea made short work of African champions Egypt when they went on a six-goal rampage in the curtain raiser of the 19th Azlan Shah Cup in Ipoh yesterday.
However, in another match, China almost had the three points in the bag, but let in a goal 17 seconds from regulation time to share the spoils at 1-1 with India.
The Koreans played at a slow pace in the searing 4pm heat, but still managed to score four goals in the first half.
Nam Hyun Woo started the rout with a fifth minute penalty corner and Kim Young Jin made it 2-0 with a 12th minute penalty corner.
Two more penalty corners saw Nam on target again in the 28th minute, while Lee Nam Yong deflected in a set-piece in the 35th minute after the hooter went off.
In the second half, You Hyo Sik finally scored the first fireld goal of the match in a 39th minute soft attempt.
The Koreans went on to raise their tally to six when Nam completed his hat-trick in the 59th minute.
In the second match, India were a jaded side, and after an initial push for five minutes, they ran out of ideas and took pot shots from the 25-yard line expecting the Chinese to make mistakes in the semi-circle.
But, the China defenders made very few mistakes, and in the 13th minute, India were shocked when Sun Tianjun scored a field goal and the score remained until the breather.
And the Indians continued their clueless strategy after the breather, while China defended with numbers and relied on counter-attacks to increase the lead.
However, with 17 seconds left on the scoreboard clock, India nailed the equaliser when Ravi Pal scored off a goalmouth melee.
China coach Zhuang Xiaodong could not accept the fact that the equaliser came so late in the match.
"The match was very interesting because India were the dominant side and we had to defend for most of the 70 minutes. I expected India to score earlier, but 17 seconds on the clock was a total heartbreak," said Zhuang.
India assistant coach Clarence Lobo blamed his chaqrges of playing too much in the centre.
"The attack was mostly from the centre when it should have been from the flanks. However, one point is better than a defeat."
However, in another match, China almost had the three points in the bag, but let in a goal 17 seconds from regulation time to share the spoils at 1-1 with India.
The Koreans played at a slow pace in the searing 4pm heat, but still managed to score four goals in the first half.
Nam Hyun Woo started the rout with a fifth minute penalty corner and Kim Young Jin made it 2-0 with a 12th minute penalty corner.
Two more penalty corners saw Nam on target again in the 28th minute, while Lee Nam Yong deflected in a set-piece in the 35th minute after the hooter went off.
In the second half, You Hyo Sik finally scored the first fireld goal of the match in a 39th minute soft attempt.
The Koreans went on to raise their tally to six when Nam completed his hat-trick in the 59th minute.
In the second match, India were a jaded side, and after an initial push for five minutes, they ran out of ideas and took pot shots from the 25-yard line expecting the Chinese to make mistakes in the semi-circle.
But, the China defenders made very few mistakes, and in the 13th minute, India were shocked when Sun Tianjun scored a field goal and the score remained until the breather.
And the Indians continued their clueless strategy after the breather, while China defended with numbers and relied on counter-attacks to increase the lead.
However, with 17 seconds left on the scoreboard clock, India nailed the equaliser when Ravi Pal scored off a goalmouth melee.
China coach Zhuang Xiaodong could not accept the fact that the equaliser came so late in the match.
"The match was very interesting because India were the dominant side and we had to defend for most of the 70 minutes. I expected India to score earlier, but 17 seconds on the clock was a total heartbreak," said Zhuang.
India assistant coach Clarence Lobo blamed his chaqrges of playing too much in the centre.
"The attack was mostly from the centre when it should have been from the flanks. However, one point is better than a defeat."
Rich history of Azlan Shah Cup
RLaunched in 1983 on a modest scale with five countries in the fray, the growth of the annual Azlan Shah international hockey tournament contributes to a fascinating study. As the 19th edition is set to go on stage in Ipoh on Thursday 6May, it is difficult to refrain from noting the vicissitudes that marked this significant competition in continental hockey. Almost every top team in the world had figured in the tournament at one point of the other, but none was as consistent as Australia.
By S. Thyagarajan
It was Ric Charlesworth who led the Aussies to a trophy triumph in the opening edition. He has endured to stay on the scene even in the 19th edition as the chief coach parading a youthful team composed to keep alive the assembly line.
With the exception of Grant Schubert, the perhaps, the Aussie squad contains enough rookies. Of the 10 appearances in the tournament, Australia had finished on top of the podium five times, the last triumph surfacing in 2007. Australia has two silvers and an equal number of bronze medals also.
Pakistan and India have figured in the event 14 and 13 times respectively. India enters the fray on Thursday as the defending champion, while Pakistan’s last win came in 2003. After a disastrous World Cup in Delhi, both India and Pakistan have fielded a new look combinations, casting aside many a veterans, hoping that some youngsters will catch the eye.
Apart from these three preparing for the Commonwealth Games, the fourth squad looking out a happy outing is the home team, Malaysia. Predictably, Malaysia has been part of the tournament in all the 18 previous occasions but without a gold medal so far.
Korea, one of the disappointments during the last World Cup, along with China and Egypt complete the list of seven in the fray in the 19th edition.
AT A GLANCE
| Year | Venue | Teams | Winner | Captain | Matches | Goals |
| 1983 | | 5 | | R.Charlesworth | 12 | 51 |
| 1985 | | 6 | | Mohammad Shahid | 11 | 49 |
| 1987 | | 6 | | Heiner Dopp | 11 | 45 |
| 1991 | | 6 | | Pargat Singh | 15 | 67 |
| 1994 | | 5 | | Jason Laslett | 12 | 57 |
| 1995 | | 6 | | Pargat Singh | 18 | 52 |
| 1996 | | 6 | | Park Shin Heun | 18 | 62 |
| 1998 | | 6 | | Micheal York | 18 | 88 |
| 1999 | | 6 | | Atif Bashir | 18 | 94 |
| 2000 | | 7 | | Atif Bashir | 24 | 95 |
| 2001 | | 7 | | Florian Kunz | 24 | 117 |
| 2003 | | 5 | | Mohammad Nadim | 12 | 48 |
| 2004 | | 7 | | Brent Livermore | 24 | 120 |
| 2005 | | 7 | | Brent Livermore | 24 | 105 |
| 2006 | | 8 | | Jeroen Delmee | 18 | 81 |
| 2007 | | 8 | | Robert Hammond | 20 | 78 |
| 2008 | | 7 | | Manuel Vivaldi | 24 | 112 |
| 2009 | | 5 | | Sandeep Singh | 12 | 44 |
| 18 | Total | 18 | 7 | 15 | 315 | 1365 |
Statistics composed by B.G.Joshi
Azlan Shah Cup goes big online
The action begins.The 19th edition of the Sultan Azlan Shah Cup begins at 16:05 Malaysian time (08:05 GMT). For the first time there is an official website for the tournament that can be found at http://www.azlanshshcup.com where the action can be followed live. Live commentary will be provided via Twitter and relayed onto the site. If you want to follow the commentary on Twitter, please follow the user Azlancup.
In what is believed to be a world first for any major international sports tournament, the official site is going to be updated from Apple's new iPad!
Minows to the fore
THE big guns will rest this weekend, as the minnows complete their fixtures in the MHF-Milo-NSC Junior Hockey League.
Today will will only see Division Two action, where Tunku Besar Secondary School (TBSS) will play Johor in an attempt to finish at least third in the standings and qualify for the quarter-finals.
And on Sundy, both the Bandar Penawar and Bukit Jalil Sports Schools Juniors will clash to decide which school has made more progress.
TODAY: Division Two -- Tunku Besar Secondary School v Johor (5pm, Tampin), Kuala Selangor v Datuk Taha (Pandamaran, 5pm).
SUNDAY: Division One -- Petaling Jaya City Council v MWHA (Tun Razak, 5pm), Bandar Penawar Juniors v Bukit Jalil Juniors (Bandar Penawar, 5pm).
Division Two: Matri v Penang Frees (Kangar, 5pm), Sabah v Pahang (Pandamaran, 5pm).
DIVISION ONE
P W D L F A Pts
UniKL 6 5 1 0 29 6 16
BJSS 6 4 2 0 18 4 14
Thunderbolt 4 4 0 0 25 3 12
PJCC 7 3 1 3 17 15 10
Anderson 8 3 1 4 14 28 10
BPSS Juniors 5 2 0 3 9 13 6
Kelantan 6 0 2 4 7 31 2
BJSS Juniors 5 0 1 4 2 17 1
MWHA 3 0 0 3 4 9 0
DIVISION TWO
P W D L F A Pts
Ipoh CC 7 5 2 0 22 5 17
Pahang 5 5 0 0 24 8 15
Sabah 5 4 0 1 21 4 12
TBSS 6 2 2 2 16 9 8
Frees 4 1 2 1 12 11 5
Matri 5 1 1 3 7 8 4
Selangor 5 1 0 4 3 34 3
Johor 6 0 2 4 9 18 2
Datuk Taha 5 0 1 4 8 17 1
Today will will only see Division Two action, where Tunku Besar Secondary School (TBSS) will play Johor in an attempt to finish at least third in the standings and qualify for the quarter-finals.
And on Sundy, both the Bandar Penawar and Bukit Jalil Sports Schools Juniors will clash to decide which school has made more progress.
TODAY: Division Two -- Tunku Besar Secondary School v Johor (5pm, Tampin), Kuala Selangor v Datuk Taha (Pandamaran, 5pm).
SUNDAY: Division One -- Petaling Jaya City Council v MWHA (Tun Razak, 5pm), Bandar Penawar Juniors v Bukit Jalil Juniors (Bandar Penawar, 5pm).
Division Two: Matri v Penang Frees (Kangar, 5pm), Sabah v Pahang (Pandamaran, 5pm).
DIVISION ONE
P W D L F A Pts
UniKL 6 5 1 0 29 6 16
BJSS 6 4 2 0 18 4 14
Thunderbolt 4 4 0 0 25 3 12
PJCC 7 3 1 3 17 15 10
Anderson 8 3 1 4 14 28 10
BPSS Juniors 5 2 0 3 9 13 6
Kelantan 6 0 2 4 7 31 2
BJSS Juniors 5 0 1 4 2 17 1
MWHA 3 0 0 3 4 9 0
DIVISION TWO
P W D L F A Pts
Ipoh CC 7 5 2 0 22 5 17
Pahang 5 5 0 0 24 8 15
Sabah 5 4 0 1 21 4 12
TBSS 6 2 2 2 16 9 8
Frees 4 1 2 1 12 11 5
Matri 5 1 1 3 7 8 4
Selangor 5 1 0 4 3 34 3
Johor 6 0 2 4 9 18 2
Datuk Taha 5 0 1 4 8 17 1
A glimmer of hope
THE 19th edition of the Azlan Shah Cup could either turn into an Asia bashing exercise, or a chance for Asian teams to finally beat World No 1 Australia.
Australia are fresh from their World Cup victory over Germany, after losing to the same country in two previous editions, but the fact that they will be fielding only four of those who lifted the coveted trophy has made the other six aspirants more confident.
However, the early indications are that South Korea could be the only side who would trouble the world champions, while Malaysia and the rest will find the going sticky.
Asian champions Korea, defending Azlan Shah Cup champions India, runners-up Malaysia, Pakistan, China and African champions Egypt will be out for the Australia’s scalps, but might get burnt in the process.
“We have purposefully chosen a young squad for this tournament. It will go a long way in exposing our squad to a number of quality teams, giving us even more experience and help add to the depth of our squad,” Australian coach Ric Charlesworth had said.
Charlesworth is more bent on finding new talent for the Champions Trophy, and his young guns know they will have to come out blazing in every match as the competition to break into the senior side is intense.
Among the Aussie hopefuls who will be out to impress are Matt Gohdes, Jason Wilson, Glenn Simpson and Ian Burcher.
For the Asian teams, the Asian Games is their end target as a gold there will mean automatic qualification for the 2012 London Olympics, so not much should be read from victories and defeats at the Azlan Shah Cup.
Australia are fresh from their World Cup victory over Germany, after losing to the same country in two previous editions, but the fact that they will be fielding only four of those who lifted the coveted trophy has made the other six aspirants more confident.
However, the early indications are that South Korea could be the only side who would trouble the world champions, while Malaysia and the rest will find the going sticky.
Asian champions Korea, defending Azlan Shah Cup champions India, runners-up Malaysia, Pakistan, China and African champions Egypt will be out for the Australia’s scalps, but might get burnt in the process.
“We have purposefully chosen a young squad for this tournament. It will go a long way in exposing our squad to a number of quality teams, giving us even more experience and help add to the depth of our squad,” Australian coach Ric Charlesworth had said.
Charlesworth is more bent on finding new talent for the Champions Trophy, and his young guns know they will have to come out blazing in every match as the competition to break into the senior side is intense.
Among the Aussie hopefuls who will be out to impress are Matt Gohdes, Jason Wilson, Glenn Simpson and Ian Burcher.
For the Asian teams, the Asian Games is their end target as a gold there will mean automatic qualification for the 2012 London Olympics, so not much should be read from victories and defeats at the Azlan Shah Cup.
Madzli: We can shine
The Malaysian team in training in preparation for their opening match against Pakistan.NATIONAL skipper Madzli Ikmar has the distinction of playing in 10 Azlan Shah Cup tournaments, and the Kuala Pilah-born defender feels Malaysia will make an impact starting with the match against Pakistan today.
The national side saw only four changes from the team which reached the final of the World Cup Qualifier in Invercargill, while many of the other teams have a total make-up.
And with the core players still with him, Madzli said: “We have a good mix comprising youth and experience. And I expect my teammates to give their best and play as a unit, as we were the runners-up last year,” said Madzli, capped 265 times.
The missing four are Kelvinder Singh, Jiwa Mohan and Ahmad Kazamirul and S. Selvaraju, who is playing in the French League.
Junior World Cup players Azreen Rizal and Izwan Firdaus will make their senior side debuts, while Tajol Rosli and Hafifihafiz Hanafi will be making a return after a few years in the wilderness.
The set-back for this side is that after playing in the Qualifier last November, they have only been training and playing in local tournaments.
“Even then, this should not be made into an excuse, and I am optimistic about our chances as many other teams are also trying out new players,” said Madzli.
Pakistan have 12 players who played in the Malaysia-Singapore Junior World Cup last year.
But Pakistan coach K.M. Junaid is not worried, as he was also the Junior World Cup coach where his team finished fifth.
“I did not have enough time to prepare the team, but will not use that as an excuse to flop. We have youth on our side and they have much to prove so this outing, in a way, will prepare them for what to expect at the higher level.”
Pakistan are in transition after finishing last in the New Delhi World Cup.
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