Tuesday, July 19, 2011

Finally, a win for Dharma's boys

MALAYSIAN Juniors finally won their first match in the tour of Europe when they beat England Juniors 3-2 on Tuesday.
The team, preparing for the Junior Asia Cup in Malacca next year which is a qualifier for the Junior World Cup, had lost 5-1 and 6-0 to the Netherlands last week.
And on Sunday, they drew their first test 2-2 with the English.
The first goal was scored by Syamim Yusof in the 25th minute. He received a pass from Amir Farid, controlled it well before ficking the ball to the roof of the goalmouth.
The English equalised in the 17th minute, but Amir Farid gave Malaysia the lead again in the 29th minute when he beat a defender and scord off a reverse stick attempt.
Mohamed Nor Faeez consolidated the lead with a 39th minute penalty corner attempt, while ENgland narrowed the gap with a 55th minute penalty corner goal.
Malaysia had only taken one goalkeeper for the tour, and according to team manager Mirnawan Nawawi, he played a big role in the win.
"We registered our first win of the tour after a brilliant display from goalkeepeer Hazrul Faiz Ahmad in denying the English, especially during penalty corner attempts," said Mirnawan.
However, Mirnawan lamented the fact that his charges seem to lose possession after taking the lead: "We need to arrest this situation, and be more consistent in the remaining two matches against England."