MALAYSIA polished off Poland 4-0 in their opening Champions Challenge match in Buenos Aires, Argentina yesterday.
And their next opponents are mighty South Korea, ranked No 7, who beat Canada 2-0.
Malaysia laid their claim for three points early in the match when Razie Rahim converted a penalty corner in the fourth minute of the match.
Poland then tired to make a comeback and went all out but couldn't challenge the team ranked six spots above them, at No 13 in the world.
In a rather fiercely challenged and rather physical 70 minutes, Malaysia was the more energetic and better organised side and dominated proceedings.
And after Razies' early penalty corner, it was Nabil Fiqri's turn to tuck away a field attempt in the 30th minute.
And after the restart, Malaysia benefited from an own goal in the 42nd minute, and Razie score his second and Malaysi's fourth off a 63rd minute penalty corner attempt.
Malaysian coach Paul Revington said: "We fielded some young players and they played very well today (Saturday). It was also our first opportunity to play as a team, and we knew we will face a tough and competitive side, and so Im very happy with the scoreline."
Poland coach Karol Sniezek said: “It was tough game. The first match is really important because a good result is necessary to motivate the team. That’s why I congratulate Malaysia on winning the game.
"They started in a good way (early goal). Our goal is of course to classify for the Champions Trophy, and like everybody knows, the first three games are not so important.
"Even if you finish your pool in fourth place, you can go on to the quarter-finals. The chances to classify are open, and we want to improve our game match by match."
As for South Korea, Jang Jong Hyun's brace in penalty coreners was enough to beat Canada 2-0.
RESULTS: Group A: Malaysia 4 Poland 0, South Korea 2 Canada 0.
Group B: Argentina 4 Ireland 3, South Africa 4 Japan 4.
FIXTURES: Malaysia v South Korea (12midnight, SUNDAY).
