Malaysia 3 India 3

IT was purely an academic match to complete the fixtures, but still, the stadium was packed to the brim when Malaysia played India in the Sultan of Johor Cup at the Taman Daya Stadium in Johor Baru yesterday.
   Malaysia came back from two goals down to take the lead at 3-2, but in the end, both the teams shared the spoils at 3-3.
   India and Malaysia remained unbeaten after five matches and it looks like the  final today is going to be a sizzler, with very little separating both the sides.
   The Malaysian hero was Shahril Saabah who scored in the 62nd and 67th minutes to take his tournament tally to eighth. The other goal was scored by Rashid Baharom in the 63rd minute.
   The Indian goals were scored by Satbir Singh (10th) and Ramandeep Singh (33rd) and Yousuf Affan (69th).
    Coach K. Dharmaraj also fielded his second goalkeeper Hazrul Faiz, and rested top-form Hafizuddin Othman, and Malaysia played at low gear for 60 minutes before showing their true form in the last 10 minutes.
    The coach even benched himself, to give his assistants the feel of handling a match without his presence.
    "It was a good avenue to rest some of the key players and allow others more playing time in preparation for the final tomorrow (today). The score does not matter, as I now have a better understanding of the Indian side for the final push," said Dharmaraj.
    Malaysia won the inaugural title in 2011 by beating Australia 3-2 with a sudden-death goal, but finished last the very next year.
    Today it is important for Malaysia to show what they are made up, as they prepare for the Junior World Cup in New Delhi on Dec 6-15.
    "We are the underdogs, but my players are not afraid of India, and will play for the title, that is an assurance to all the fans that have been supporting this team," said Dharmaraj.
   India coach Clark Gregg summed up Malaysia: "They have fast players who can overturn any match if the opponents go into sleep mode, and I believe they have a side that can challenge for the top-eight positions in the World Cup."
    First choice goalkeeper Hafizuddin is an example of late bloomers, as he was dropped from the Junior Asia Cup side that won gold to take Malaysia into the Junior World Cup, but has since clawed his way back with sheer determination.
    "Hafizuddin is the kind of fighters that any coach would like to have by his side. I had to drop him earlier because there were two more goalkeepers better than him, but he slowly overtook them over the last two years and is now my first choice. I have a team of fighters, and they are not afraid to take on any side including tournament and World Cup favourites India," said Dharmaraj.
   
 FINAL STANDINGS
                                P  W  D  L  F  A         Pts
INDIA                       5   4   1  0  18  7     13
MALAYSIA               5   4   1  0  19   9     13
PAKISTAN                5   3   0  2  15  11    9
ARGENTINA              5   1   1  3  10  13   4
S KOREA                   4   0   1  3  4    16    1
ENGLAND                 4   0   0  4  4    14    0

   RESULTS -- Argentina 1 Pakistan 4, India 3 Malaysia 3, South
Korea x England x.
   TODAY --  Final -- Malaysia v India (8.35pm); Third-Fourth: Pakistan v Argentina (5.05); Fifth-Sixth: South Korea v England (3.35)