DEFENDING MHC-MILO-NSC Junior Hockey League Division One champions SSTMI Thunderbolts bounced back in style to thump KLHC 3-1 at the Kuala Lumpur Hockey Stadium yesterday.
After being held to a 2-2 raw by Petaling Jaya City Council on Friday, Thunderbolts put their campaign on track again.
Thunderbolts coach Wan Roslan Rahman said: "Our finishing was rather poor Friday which is what cost us the slip up, but it was good to see the team come away with three fields goals today (yesterday)."
However, Thunderbolts could only break the deadlock in the half hour mark when Hamirul Hamizan found the back of the net.
KLHC drew level in the 38th minute when Mohamed Khairul scored off a penalty corner, but lost the momentum in the final five minutes of play.
Muhammad Azmie Othman (64th) and Danial Asyraf(66th) hit the high note for Thunderbolts to seal three points.
"It was a hard fought win and I have stressed this out to my players, that things won't be easy no matter which team we play this season," added Roslan.
At the National Hockey stadium UniKL Young Guns continued their run when they brushed aside Politeknik Malaysia 3-1.
The Politeknik side shocked last seasons runners up by taking the lead in the fifth minute through Izzuan Halim, but UniKL sealed the match with goals from Norsyafiq Sumantri (21st), Shafirul Aqmal (23rd), and Maxhans Christi (38).
Results:
Division One:
SSTMI Thunderbolts 3 KLHC - KLHA 1
SSP/MSP/Thunderbolts 4 v SSTMI Jrs 0
UniKL Young Guns 3 Politeknik Malaysia 1
Division 2
MSNT-PHT 3 Sekolah Tengku Abdul Rahman 0 - SAS
MSS Kedah 9 MATRI 0
MSS Kedah 4 1Mas Penang 1
SMK Dato Taha 2 SMSJ Knight 1
TODAY: Division One:
KLHC vs Politeknik (KLHA,45pm)
OLAK PKT Tigers vs SSTMI Juniors (NHS, 4.45pm)
Division 2: 1 Mas Pahang vs Kuala Lumpur Sports School ( Temerloh, 4.45pm)
1 Mas Perak v BJSS JNR (Azlan Shah, 4.45pm)
1 Mas Perlis v 1 Mas Penang, a Kuala Perlis (4.45pm)
Nur Insafi Penang Hockey v Sek. Men Agama Matri, Sg.Petani (4.45pm)
1 Mas Johor v SMK Dato Taha (Batu Pahat, 4.45pm)
1Mas Malacca v SMKDBL PHJ (Malacca, 4.45pm)
Saturday, January 31, 2015
Friday, January 30, 2015
Wake-up call for Thunder champions
THREE-TIME consecutive double winners Thunderbolts received an early wake-up call when they were held to a 2-2 draw by Petaling Jaya City Council (PJCC) in Division One of the MHC-MILO-NSC Junior Hockey League at the Bukit Jalil Stadium yesterday.
Thunderbolts took a 2-0 lead, but after that, they started missing sitters and two penalty corner goals from PJCC saw them sharing the spoils.
The Thunderbolts goals were scored by zulharmizan awang (12th) and husaini husin (40th) while the hero for PJCC was Husaini Abu Bakar who nailed his brace in the 60th and 69th minutes.
"You can call it an early wake up call for us as we failed to score sitters and the penalty corners did not work as well today (yesterday). And I believe if there was more playing time, PJCC could have even won the match because they were all over us in the last five minutes of the match," said Thunderbolts coach Wan Roslan Wan Rahman.
However, Wan Roslan said their title quest is still on sight: "The draw is a small set-back but I believe we are still good enough to defend out League title."
PJCC manager Zainal Abidin was all smiles, as he expected a hammering from the champions.
"After two strong matches by Thunderboolts we were ready for the worse, but after a second half-shelling the boys finally started to take control of the match and we are very proud of them," said Zainal.
In another Divison One match, UniKL hammered BJSS seniors 6-1.
"We still have many more matches to go and some of the teams like UniKL will be hard to crack, so this draw should motivate my players to play much better in the remaining matches," said Zainal.
RESULTS: Division One: Thunderbolts Jnrs 2 Olak PKDT Tigers 1; PJCC 2 Thunderbolts 2; UniKL 6 BJSS 1.
Division Two: Group A: 1MAS Perak 2 KLSS 2, SM Sains Raja Tun Azlan Shah x MSNT-PHT x.
Group B: 1MAS Perlis 2 ISMO PHA 2; MSSD Larut Matang 0 MSS Kedah 10.
Group C: 1MAS Malacca 2 1MAS TBSS Tampin 2, SMK Tun Hussein 1 SMKDBL PHJ 9.
TODAY: Division One -- KLHC v Thunderbolts (KLHA, 4.45pm), SSP Thunderbolts v SSTMI Jnrs (Temerloh, 4.45pm), UniKL v Politeknik (NHS II, 6.45pm).
Division Two: Group A -- Tunku Abdul Rahman v MSN-PHT (Azlan Shah, 4.45pm); Group B: SM Agama Matri v ISMO PHA (Kangar, 4.45pm), 1MAS Penang v MSS Kedah (Sg Petani, 4.45pm); Group C: SMSJ Knight v SMK Datuk Taha (Batu Pahat, 4.45pm).
Thunderbolts took a 2-0 lead, but after that, they started missing sitters and two penalty corner goals from PJCC saw them sharing the spoils.
The Thunderbolts goals were scored by zulharmizan awang (12th) and husaini husin (40th) while the hero for PJCC was Husaini Abu Bakar who nailed his brace in the 60th and 69th minutes.
"You can call it an early wake up call for us as we failed to score sitters and the penalty corners did not work as well today (yesterday). And I believe if there was more playing time, PJCC could have even won the match because they were all over us in the last five minutes of the match," said Thunderbolts coach Wan Roslan Wan Rahman.
However, Wan Roslan said their title quest is still on sight: "The draw is a small set-back but I believe we are still good enough to defend out League title."
PJCC manager Zainal Abidin was all smiles, as he expected a hammering from the champions.
"After two strong matches by Thunderboolts we were ready for the worse, but after a second half-shelling the boys finally started to take control of the match and we are very proud of them," said Zainal.
In another Divison One match, UniKL hammered BJSS seniors 6-1.
"We still have many more matches to go and some of the teams like UniKL will be hard to crack, so this draw should motivate my players to play much better in the remaining matches," said Zainal.
RESULTS: Division One: Thunderbolts Jnrs 2 Olak PKDT Tigers 1; PJCC 2 Thunderbolts 2; UniKL 6 BJSS 1.
Division Two: Group A: 1MAS Perak 2 KLSS 2, SM Sains Raja Tun Azlan Shah x MSNT-PHT x.
Group B: 1MAS Perlis 2 ISMO PHA 2; MSSD Larut Matang 0 MSS Kedah 10.
Group C: 1MAS Malacca 2 1MAS TBSS Tampin 2, SMK Tun Hussein 1 SMKDBL PHJ 9.
TODAY: Division One -- KLHC v Thunderbolts (KLHA, 4.45pm), SSP Thunderbolts v SSTMI Jnrs (Temerloh, 4.45pm), UniKL v Politeknik (NHS II, 6.45pm).
Division Two: Group A -- Tunku Abdul Rahman v MSN-PHT (Azlan Shah, 4.45pm); Group B: SM Agama Matri v ISMO PHA (Kangar, 4.45pm), 1MAS Penang v MSS Kedah (Sg Petani, 4.45pm); Group C: SMSJ Knight v SMK Datuk Taha (Batu Pahat, 4.45pm).
Thursday, January 29, 2015
JHL: Thunderbolts-PJCC thriller..
JUNIOR Hockey League (JHL) table toppers Thunderbolts and Petaling Jaya City Council (PJCC) face-off in a thriller to claim the early Division One favourites tag at the National Hockey Stadium in Bukit Jalil Friday.
Thunderbolts, the three-time consecutive double champions from Johor, have been knocking goals past their opponents with ease but coach Wan Roslan Wan Rahman did not want to take matters lightly, as he has yet to watch PJCC in action.
"It is difficult to judge your opponents without watching them play. If we do that, they could surprise us, so we must be cautious," he said.
"Both teams have the early momentum so I believe it will be a tight affair as they have a few good players on their side. As for my team, everyone is fit and ready for more action," said Wan Roslan.
Thunderbolts thumped their juniors 5-0 in the JHL curtain-raiser before hammering promoted side Politeknik Malaysia 7-2 last Sunday.
PJCC have beaten Bukit Jalil Sports School (BJSS) 3-0 and Thunderbolts Juniors 4-1.
Firdaus Omar is the toast of Thunderbolts as he converted three penalty corners in each match to take his tally to six, leaving Wan Roslan rooting for more from him.
"Yes, we are banking on him to score again as he is among the core players in the squad and is also in the Project 2016. He is doing well now and I hope to see him continue his run," said Wan Roslan.
In other Division One matches, UniKL, who have also won their opening two matches, take on BJSS while Thunderbolts Juniors play Olak PKT Tigers in Temerloh.
FRIDAY: Division One: Thunderbolts v Olak PKDT Tigers (Temerloh, 4.45pm); PJCC v Thunderbolts (NHS I, 4.45pm); UniKL v BJSS (NHS II, 4.45pm).
Division Two: Group A: 1MAS Perak v KLSS (Azlan Shah, 4.45pm)
SM Sains Raja Tun Azlan Shah v MSNT-PHT - (Azlan Shah, 6.45pm).
Group B: 1MAS Perlis v ISMO PHA (Kuala Perlis, 4.45pm); MSSD Larut Matang v MSS Kedah (Kuala Kangsar, 4.45pm).
Group C: 1MAS Malacca v 1MAS TBSS Tampin (Malacca, 4.45pm), SMK Tun Hussein v SMKDBL PHJ (Batu Pahat, 4.45pm)
Thunderbolts, the three-time consecutive double champions from Johor, have been knocking goals past their opponents with ease but coach Wan Roslan Wan Rahman did not want to take matters lightly, as he has yet to watch PJCC in action.
"It is difficult to judge your opponents without watching them play. If we do that, they could surprise us, so we must be cautious," he said.
"Both teams have the early momentum so I believe it will be a tight affair as they have a few good players on their side. As for my team, everyone is fit and ready for more action," said Wan Roslan.
Thunderbolts thumped their juniors 5-0 in the JHL curtain-raiser before hammering promoted side Politeknik Malaysia 7-2 last Sunday.
PJCC have beaten Bukit Jalil Sports School (BJSS) 3-0 and Thunderbolts Juniors 4-1.
Firdaus Omar is the toast of Thunderbolts as he converted three penalty corners in each match to take his tally to six, leaving Wan Roslan rooting for more from him.
"Yes, we are banking on him to score again as he is among the core players in the squad and is also in the Project 2016. He is doing well now and I hope to see him continue his run," said Wan Roslan.
In other Division One matches, UniKL, who have also won their opening two matches, take on BJSS while Thunderbolts Juniors play Olak PKT Tigers in Temerloh.
FRIDAY: Division One: Thunderbolts v Olak PKDT Tigers (Temerloh, 4.45pm); PJCC v Thunderbolts (NHS I, 4.45pm); UniKL v BJSS (NHS II, 4.45pm).
Division Two: Group A: 1MAS Perak v KLSS (Azlan Shah, 4.45pm)
SM Sains Raja Tun Azlan Shah v MSNT-PHT - (Azlan Shah, 6.45pm).
Group B: 1MAS Perlis v ISMO PHA (Kuala Perlis, 4.45pm); MSSD Larut Matang v MSS Kedah (Kuala Kangsar, 4.45pm).
Group C: 1MAS Malacca v 1MAS TBSS Tampin (Malacca, 4.45pm), SMK Tun Hussein v SMKDBL PHJ (Batu Pahat, 4.45pm)
Tuesday, January 27, 2015
Beware the pitfalls in Belgium..
THERE was never a moment of doubt when Malaysia hammered Poland 8-0 to claim the World League Round Two gold medal at the Sengkang Stadium in Singapore on Sunday.
It was a totally different Malaysia, one which made very few mistakes at the back-line, but even in such a magical win, there were some grey areas which need urgent attention before the June WL Semi-finals in Belgium.
For, awaiting Malaysia in Belgium is a chance to play in the Rio de Janeiro Olympics, a feat last achieved in Sydney 2000.
Not wanting to silence the thunder or pull the rug from under the jubilant players and officials' feet, the truth is that Malaysia were well below par, physically, and also mentally which almost cost them the semi-finals match against Japan.
That match, which went into shoot-out after a 1-1 draw in regulation time, showed plenty of chinks in the Malaysian team.
The Japanese were much fitter, more motivated, and even though had only three chances, nailed the equaliser while Malaysia wasted more than 10 attempts after taking the early lead.
Missing sitters was a big problem in Singapore, as coach Tai Beng Hai's forward-line missed at least three sitters before scoring in almost all matches.
Even against Poaland at least four open chances were wasted, especially by tournament top-scorer and Player-of-the-Tournament Faizal Saari.
Faizal scored a total of 12 goals in six matches, but he also missed at least 12 open chances and his biggest problem is ballooning the ball over the bar even though the goalkeeper has been beaten.
The other forwards, Tengku Ahmad Tajuddin, Firhan Ashaari and Izwan Firdaus were also equally guilty of missing sitters, which they can't afford in the WL Semi-finals in Belgium.
At the back, Malaysia have the best defenders in Baljit Singh, Razie Rahim and goalkeepers S. Kumar and Roslan Jamaluddin -- all four played above par in every match, with Razie also delivering in the penalty corners.
The next move, according to team manager Datuk Nur Azmi Ahmad is to call 15 more players for joint training and then select the best for the Azlan Shah Cup in April 2-12 in Ipoh.
But it looks like the same 18 in Singapore would be the best bet to play against world champions Australia, Asian champions India; New Zealand, South Korea and Canada. South Africa are the other invited team, but have yet to confirm.
"The Azlan Shah Cup would be the best avenue to sharpen our strike-force, as it would be the last tournament before we head to Belgium," said Nur Azmi.
Beng Hai was moon-walking after the 8-0 hammering of Poland, but with consultant Neil Hawgood hanging around his neck like a noose.
When asked is he believed a local coach would be good enough to handle the team at the WL Semi-finals: "I have completed my task, and now it is up to the MHC (Malaysian Hockey Confederation) to decide on the next course of action regarding the coaching structure," said Beng Hai.
The MHC are in the midst of hiring Hawgood, and if the deal materializes, Beng Hai could find himself as team manager in Belgium.
Final standings
1 Malaysia – Qualified for Semi-Finals of Hockey World League
2 Poland – Qualified for Semi-Finals of Hockey World League
3 Japan – Qualified for Semi-Finals of Hockey World League
4 Oman
5 Ukraine
6 Bangladesh
7 Singapore
8 Mexico
Awards
Player of the Tournament: Faizal Saari (MAS)
Top Scorer: Faizal Saari (MAS) - 12 goals
Young Player of the Tournament: Shunya Miyazaki (JPN)
Goalkeeper of the Tournament: Takashi Yoshikawa (JPN)
Sunday, January 25, 2015
Malaysia hammer Poland 8-0 for WL gold,,,
MALAYSIA went for an early kill and it worked wonders as they snatched the World League Round Two gold medal by outclassing Poland 8-0 at the Sengkang Stadium in Singapore yesterday.
Coach Tai Beng Hai's players had already claimed a ticket to the World League Semi-finals in Belgium in June, when they beat Japan in the semi-finals, but they went a step further to win Malaysia's only second gold medal in an International Hockey Federation (FIH) tournament.
This gold was much more precious as the earlier one was won at a Five-Nation in Paris in 2010.
There was never a moment, in the first two quarters, that Poland looked like they recovered from the third minute penalty corner drive by Faizal Saari to claim the lead.
Malaysia took command of the match after that and two more penalty corner goals by Razie Rahim in the seventh and 21st minutes eased the pressure on the backline.
Faizal Saari, after missing three one-on-one with the goalkeeper, finally sounded the board in the 33rd minute to make it 4-0.
Poland were totally outclassed in the 42nd minute, when Nabil Fiqri shot home a reverse stick, and Tengku Ahmad Tajuddin made it 6-0 with another reverse stick attempt in the 48th minute.
For good measure, Haziq Shamsul nailed the seventh in the 54th minute, and Razie nailed his hat-trick with a last minute penalty corner drive.
There was overall drive and determination, as Beng Hai started with an attacking forwardline of Tengku Ahmad Tajuddin, Firhan Ashaari and Faizal Saari -- and they threw caution to the wind with wave after waves of attacks to the delight of a capacity crowd of 2,000-odd fans.
The other delight of this tournament is that Malaysia won all their matches convincingly, except for the 1-1 draw with Japan in the semi-finals which had to be decided in a shoot-out.
"This is the kind of performance that we have been looking for from the players, and they were simply magical against Poland.
"The MHC (Malaysian Hockey Confederation) had targeted for them to play in the final, but we are very proud of them because they went one step further and claimed a crucial gold medal, which has eluded Malaysia for a very long time," said team manager Datuk Nur Azmi Ahmad, who is also the MHC vice-president.
Malaysia entered the tournament as the highest ranked team, num 12, and lived up to their billing.
"We need to work on certain areas in the run-up to the WL Semi-finals (which offers tickets to the 2016 Rio de Janeiro Olympics) like fitness, so that we can be back in the Olympic fold, which we last played in Sydney 2000," said Nur Azmi.
In the third-fourth placing match, Japan were made to sweat by Oman befor beating them 4-0 to claim the bronze medal which also came with the last ticket to the World League Semi-finals, and Japan are expected to play in the Argentina qualifier.
RESULTS: Final: Malaysia 8 Poland 0; Third-Fourth: Japan 4 Oman 0; Fifth-Sixth: Bangladesh 1 Ukraine 3; Seventh-Eighth: Singapore 4 Mexico 3.
Coach Tai Beng Hai's players had already claimed a ticket to the World League Semi-finals in Belgium in June, when they beat Japan in the semi-finals, but they went a step further to win Malaysia's only second gold medal in an International Hockey Federation (FIH) tournament.
This gold was much more precious as the earlier one was won at a Five-Nation in Paris in 2010.
There was never a moment, in the first two quarters, that Poland looked like they recovered from the third minute penalty corner drive by Faizal Saari to claim the lead.
Malaysia took command of the match after that and two more penalty corner goals by Razie Rahim in the seventh and 21st minutes eased the pressure on the backline.
Faizal Saari, after missing three one-on-one with the goalkeeper, finally sounded the board in the 33rd minute to make it 4-0.
Poland were totally outclassed in the 42nd minute, when Nabil Fiqri shot home a reverse stick, and Tengku Ahmad Tajuddin made it 6-0 with another reverse stick attempt in the 48th minute.
For good measure, Haziq Shamsul nailed the seventh in the 54th minute, and Razie nailed his hat-trick with a last minute penalty corner drive.
There was overall drive and determination, as Beng Hai started with an attacking forwardline of Tengku Ahmad Tajuddin, Firhan Ashaari and Faizal Saari -- and they threw caution to the wind with wave after waves of attacks to the delight of a capacity crowd of 2,000-odd fans.
The other delight of this tournament is that Malaysia won all their matches convincingly, except for the 1-1 draw with Japan in the semi-finals which had to be decided in a shoot-out.
"This is the kind of performance that we have been looking for from the players, and they were simply magical against Poland.
"The MHC (Malaysian Hockey Confederation) had targeted for them to play in the final, but we are very proud of them because they went one step further and claimed a crucial gold medal, which has eluded Malaysia for a very long time," said team manager Datuk Nur Azmi Ahmad, who is also the MHC vice-president.
Malaysia entered the tournament as the highest ranked team, num 12, and lived up to their billing.
"We need to work on certain areas in the run-up to the WL Semi-finals (which offers tickets to the 2016 Rio de Janeiro Olympics) like fitness, so that we can be back in the Olympic fold, which we last played in Sydney 2000," said Nur Azmi.
In the third-fourth placing match, Japan were made to sweat by Oman befor beating them 4-0 to claim the bronze medal which also came with the last ticket to the World League Semi-finals, and Japan are expected to play in the Argentina qualifier.
RESULTS: Final: Malaysia 8 Poland 0; Third-Fourth: Japan 4 Oman 0; Fifth-Sixth: Bangladesh 1 Ukraine 3; Seventh-Eighth: Singapore 4 Mexico 3.
Saturday, January 24, 2015
Malaysia qualify for WL Semifinals in Belgium
MALAYSIA were a pathetic side but were saved the blushes by goalkeeper S. Kumar, who took them into the final of the World League Round Two by making super saves in the penalty shoot-out at the Sengkang Stadium in Singapore yesterday.
The score stood at 1-1 after the final whistle, and in the shoot-out Malaysia won 3-2 thanks to Kumar, who made three super saves.
The Tampin-born Kumar's heroics also saw Malaysia qualify for the World League Semi-final in Belgium in June, as three tickets are on offer in Singapore.
Marhan Jalil scored an early field goal, by a solo effort in the fifth minute, and the crowd were baying for more Japan blood, but it never came.
Instead, the Japanese grew in confidence and were unlucky not to have won the match in regulation time. Kenta Tanaka equalised in the 15th minute to take the match to a shoot-out.
Tengku Ahmad Tajuddin Missed, Izwan Firdaus missed, but Malaysia were kept in the hunt as Kumar brought out three saves.
Faizal Saari, Firhan Ashaari and Fitri Saari delivered for Malaysia in the shoot-out and now they will play Poland for the gold medal today.
In the other semi-finals, Poland beat Oman 7-1.
"We have achieved the target set by MHC (Malaysian Hockey Confederation) which was to play in the final, and now, we will be after my as well as my players target which is to win gold in this tournament," said Malaysian coach Tai Beng Hai.
Beng Hai rued four attempts which hit the post: "Three penalty corners and a field attempt hit the post and bar, and that made our task much harder. However, we had four easy matches before this and we were brought down to earth in the semi-finals.
"I see this as a blessing before be take on Poland for the gold. We did play Poland in a few friendlies in Bukit Jalil before coming to Singapore, but that was with a different structure, and now the team is playing differently and we will go for the gold," said Beng Hai.
In Kuala Lumpur, Poland drew 4-4 and then won 4-3 in the friendlies, but as the tag applies, it were just friendlies.
Malaysia have played Poland 25 times, won 15 , drew 5 and lost 5. We have scored 61 and conceeded 37 goals. The last encounter was at the 2012 Champions Challenge in Argentina where Malaysia won 4-0.
Japan coach Kang Keon-Wook summed up the match: "Malaysia were unlucky in the four quarters as they hit the post and bar four times, but were lucky that they have a very good goalkeeper in the shoot-out (Kumar).
RESULTS: Semi-finals -- Malaysia 1 Japan 1 (Malaysia win 3-2 in penalty shoot-out); Poland 7 Oman 1.
Sunday...Final: Malaysia v Poland (8pm); Third-Fourth: Japan v Oman (5.30pm); Fifth-Sixth: Bangladesh v Ukraine (3pm); Seventh-Eighth: Singapore v Mexico (9am)
The score stood at 1-1 after the final whistle, and in the shoot-out Malaysia won 3-2 thanks to Kumar, who made three super saves.
The Tampin-born Kumar's heroics also saw Malaysia qualify for the World League Semi-final in Belgium in June, as three tickets are on offer in Singapore.
Marhan Jalil scored an early field goal, by a solo effort in the fifth minute, and the crowd were baying for more Japan blood, but it never came.
Instead, the Japanese grew in confidence and were unlucky not to have won the match in regulation time. Kenta Tanaka equalised in the 15th minute to take the match to a shoot-out.
Tengku Ahmad Tajuddin Missed, Izwan Firdaus missed, but Malaysia were kept in the hunt as Kumar brought out three saves.
Faizal Saari, Firhan Ashaari and Fitri Saari delivered for Malaysia in the shoot-out and now they will play Poland for the gold medal today.
In the other semi-finals, Poland beat Oman 7-1.
"We have achieved the target set by MHC (Malaysian Hockey Confederation) which was to play in the final, and now, we will be after my as well as my players target which is to win gold in this tournament," said Malaysian coach Tai Beng Hai.
Beng Hai rued four attempts which hit the post: "Three penalty corners and a field attempt hit the post and bar, and that made our task much harder. However, we had four easy matches before this and we were brought down to earth in the semi-finals.
"I see this as a blessing before be take on Poland for the gold. We did play Poland in a few friendlies in Bukit Jalil before coming to Singapore, but that was with a different structure, and now the team is playing differently and we will go for the gold," said Beng Hai.
In Kuala Lumpur, Poland drew 4-4 and then won 4-3 in the friendlies, but as the tag applies, it were just friendlies.
Malaysia have played Poland 25 times, won 15 , drew 5 and lost 5. We have scored 61 and conceeded 37 goals. The last encounter was at the 2012 Champions Challenge in Argentina where Malaysia won 4-0.
Japan coach Kang Keon-Wook summed up the match: "Malaysia were unlucky in the four quarters as they hit the post and bar four times, but were lucky that they have a very good goalkeeper in the shoot-out (Kumar).
RESULTS: Semi-finals -- Malaysia 1 Japan 1 (Malaysia win 3-2 in penalty shoot-out); Poland 7 Oman 1.
Sunday...Final: Malaysia v Poland (8pm); Third-Fourth: Japan v Oman (5.30pm); Fifth-Sixth: Bangladesh v Ukraine (3pm); Seventh-Eighth: Singapore v Mexico (9am)
Japan play underdogs
JAPAN coach Kang Keon-Wook played down his team's chances against Malaysia in the semi-finals of the World League Round Two at the Sengkang Hockey Stadium in Singapore today.
The Korean, who led his team to a silver medal in the Sydney 2000 Olympics, felt Malaysia are a totally different side from the one which he saw in action last year.
Even though Malaysia beat Japan 4-1 in the Asian Games last year, Kang was really impressed with the progress made by the national players since.
The other factor for the Korean to claim the underdogs tag is because he had to make eight changes to his Asian Games side due to injuries to key players.
"I believe Malaysia will be our toughest opponents in this tournament as they have improved so much since I last saw them at the Asian Games. There is more understanding, and the players give their all in every match and this can be seen from the impressive scorelines," said Kang.
Japan were beaten 3-2 by Poland in Group B, while Malaysia enter the semi-finals with a perfect record after whacking Ukraine 5-1, Oman 7-0, Singapore 16-1 and Mexico 10-1.
Kang's men beat Bangladesh 5-1, Mexico 6-0 and Ukraine 5-0 to play in the semis.
"The biggest problem with Japan, since I took over for the last two years, is the constant changes in players every few months due to injury, club commitment and also early retirement. I had to select eight new players for this tournament because many of the best picked up injuries playing in the local league.
"You can see from the scoreline, Malaysia are really playing well. But then again, we have nothing to lose, and everything to gain in this match, so we will not make it easy," said Kang.
Malaysia must beat Japan to claim an early ticket to the World League Round Two, even though three are in offer in Singapore.
Malaysian coach Tai Beng Hai is optimistic his charges will not let the country down: "As usual the instructions will be not to take any team lightly and Japan can be dangerous if we allow them space. We need to score early goals to douse the fire, and I am confident the forward-line will make the chances count."
That is the biggest problem with the team right now, as the forward-line has missed too many sitters even though the opponents were nothing to shout about thus far.
In the worse case scenario, if Malaysia lose against Japan today, they still have the bronze medal to fight for and their highly likely opponents are Oman, as Poland are tipped to sail into the final.
RESULTS: Fifth-Eighth -- Mexico 2 Ukraine 4; Bangladesh 3 Singapore 0.
Jan 24: Semi-finals -- Malaysia v Japan (3pm); Poland v Oman (5.30pm).
The Korean, who led his team to a silver medal in the Sydney 2000 Olympics, felt Malaysia are a totally different side from the one which he saw in action last year.
Even though Malaysia beat Japan 4-1 in the Asian Games last year, Kang was really impressed with the progress made by the national players since.
The other factor for the Korean to claim the underdogs tag is because he had to make eight changes to his Asian Games side due to injuries to key players.
"I believe Malaysia will be our toughest opponents in this tournament as they have improved so much since I last saw them at the Asian Games. There is more understanding, and the players give their all in every match and this can be seen from the impressive scorelines," said Kang.
Japan were beaten 3-2 by Poland in Group B, while Malaysia enter the semi-finals with a perfect record after whacking Ukraine 5-1, Oman 7-0, Singapore 16-1 and Mexico 10-1.
Kang's men beat Bangladesh 5-1, Mexico 6-0 and Ukraine 5-0 to play in the semis.
"The biggest problem with Japan, since I took over for the last two years, is the constant changes in players every few months due to injury, club commitment and also early retirement. I had to select eight new players for this tournament because many of the best picked up injuries playing in the local league.
"You can see from the scoreline, Malaysia are really playing well. But then again, we have nothing to lose, and everything to gain in this match, so we will not make it easy," said Kang.
Malaysia must beat Japan to claim an early ticket to the World League Round Two, even though three are in offer in Singapore.
Malaysian coach Tai Beng Hai is optimistic his charges will not let the country down: "As usual the instructions will be not to take any team lightly and Japan can be dangerous if we allow them space. We need to score early goals to douse the fire, and I am confident the forward-line will make the chances count."
That is the biggest problem with the team right now, as the forward-line has missed too many sitters even though the opponents were nothing to shout about thus far.
In the worse case scenario, if Malaysia lose against Japan today, they still have the bronze medal to fight for and their highly likely opponents are Oman, as Poland are tipped to sail into the final.
RESULTS: Fifth-Eighth -- Mexico 2 Ukraine 4; Bangladesh 3 Singapore 0.
Jan 24: Semi-finals -- Malaysia v Japan (3pm); Poland v Oman (5.30pm).
Thursday, January 22, 2015
Malaysia cruise past Mexico 10-1..Japan next
MALAYSIA cruised into the semi-finals of the World League Round Two after they whitewashed Mexico 10-1 at the Sengkang Stadium in Singapore yesterday.
Playing under a blazing 9am sun, and witnessed by eight ticket-paying fans, coach Tai Beng Hai's men missed 10 chances, but made the other 10 count to claim the favourites tag in the tournament.
Malaysia will play Japan in the last-four, after players from the Land of the Rising Sun beat Ukraine 5-0 in the other quarters.
And in the other last eight matches, Poland hammered Singapore 8-0; while Oman and Bangladesh played to a 3-3 draw but Oman won 2-0 in a penalty shoot-out.
Tengku Ahmad Tajuddin started the goalcount in the fourth minute and went on to score three more in the 30th, 31st and 48th. The other goals were scored by Faizal Saari (14th), Razie Rahim (16th), Firhan Ashaari (19th), Izwan Firdaus (40th), Izad Jamaluddin (44th) and Haziq Shamsul (54th).
The Mexico consolation was scored by Andres Range in the 24th minute.
For the record, Malaysia's only other match against Mexico was at the 1968 Olympics, where the hosts were beaten 1-0 in the 15th-16th classification match.
"We did miss many chances but that could be due to playing so early in the day as we had to wake up at 5am to prepare for the match. The blazing sun did not help either, as we missed many sitters but still, the scoreline is a big boost ahead of the crucial semi-finals," said Malaysian coach Tai Beng Hai.
The national players beat Ukraine 5-1, Oman 7-0, Singapore 16-1 and Mexico 10-1 for an impressive 38 goals scored and three let in.
"It has been a very good tournament so far, but Japan will not be easy as they have a better structure and can be deadly if we do not score early to douse their fire. However, we are here to play in the final, and Japan can be beaten," said Beng Hai.
The only casualty yesterday was Firhan Ashaari who received a cut on his cheeks and was rushed to the hospital, but with a rest day before the semis, he is expected to be back on the pitch to help Malaysia beat Japan.
Three teams from Singapore will qualify for the World League Semi-finals, and Malaysia need to beat Japan and book their ticket early and not wait for the third-fourth placing match to qualify. The WL Semi-finals is the last shot for teams to qualify for the 2016 Rio de Janeiro Olympics.
Singappore have been a miserable host so far, as teething problems are still persistent for teams even though it has reached the knock-out stage.
Firhan's injury opened another can of worms as the hosts did not have an ambulance on standby and asked for S85 to call one from a nearby hospital: "This is ridiculous as when Malaysia host a tournament we provide medical care and do not charge for teams for an ambulance ride. And when we complained to the tournament director he just shook his head in disbelieve. In the end, the ambulance never came and we took Firhan to the hospital in a taxi," said a Malaysian official.
Another good news yesterday was that Malaysia moved up a notch in the world and are now num 12, while their semis opponents Japan dropped from 14 to 15. The other potential finalist Poland remained at 18th.
Malaysia have the best chance to win gold in Singapore, and advance to the World League Semi-finals at either Belgium or Argentina which offer tickets to the 2016 Rio de Janeiro Olympics, a platform where Malaysia last played in Sydney 2000.
Meanwhile, the Malaysian Hockey Confederation (MHC) will hold their Annual General Meeting on Feb 13, with nominations closing on Feb 2.
Playing under a blazing 9am sun, and witnessed by eight ticket-paying fans, coach Tai Beng Hai's men missed 10 chances, but made the other 10 count to claim the favourites tag in the tournament.
Malaysia will play Japan in the last-four, after players from the Land of the Rising Sun beat Ukraine 5-0 in the other quarters.
And in the other last eight matches, Poland hammered Singapore 8-0; while Oman and Bangladesh played to a 3-3 draw but Oman won 2-0 in a penalty shoot-out.
Tengku Ahmad Tajuddin started the goalcount in the fourth minute and went on to score three more in the 30th, 31st and 48th. The other goals were scored by Faizal Saari (14th), Razie Rahim (16th), Firhan Ashaari (19th), Izwan Firdaus (40th), Izad Jamaluddin (44th) and Haziq Shamsul (54th).
The Mexico consolation was scored by Andres Range in the 24th minute.
For the record, Malaysia's only other match against Mexico was at the 1968 Olympics, where the hosts were beaten 1-0 in the 15th-16th classification match.
"We did miss many chances but that could be due to playing so early in the day as we had to wake up at 5am to prepare for the match. The blazing sun did not help either, as we missed many sitters but still, the scoreline is a big boost ahead of the crucial semi-finals," said Malaysian coach Tai Beng Hai.
The national players beat Ukraine 5-1, Oman 7-0, Singapore 16-1 and Mexico 10-1 for an impressive 38 goals scored and three let in.
"It has been a very good tournament so far, but Japan will not be easy as they have a better structure and can be deadly if we do not score early to douse their fire. However, we are here to play in the final, and Japan can be beaten," said Beng Hai.
The only casualty yesterday was Firhan Ashaari who received a cut on his cheeks and was rushed to the hospital, but with a rest day before the semis, he is expected to be back on the pitch to help Malaysia beat Japan.
Three teams from Singapore will qualify for the World League Semi-finals, and Malaysia need to beat Japan and book their ticket early and not wait for the third-fourth placing match to qualify. The WL Semi-finals is the last shot for teams to qualify for the 2016 Rio de Janeiro Olympics.
Singappore have been a miserable host so far, as teething problems are still persistent for teams even though it has reached the knock-out stage.
Firhan's injury opened another can of worms as the hosts did not have an ambulance on standby and asked for S85 to call one from a nearby hospital: "This is ridiculous as when Malaysia host a tournament we provide medical care and do not charge for teams for an ambulance ride. And when we complained to the tournament director he just shook his head in disbelieve. In the end, the ambulance never came and we took Firhan to the hospital in a taxi," said a Malaysian official.
Another good news yesterday was that Malaysia moved up a notch in the world and are now num 12, while their semis opponents Japan dropped from 14 to 15. The other potential finalist Poland remained at 18th.
Malaysia have the best chance to win gold in Singapore, and advance to the World League Semi-finals at either Belgium or Argentina which offer tickets to the 2016 Rio de Janeiro Olympics, a platform where Malaysia last played in Sydney 2000.
Meanwhile, the Malaysian Hockey Confederation (MHC) will hold their Annual General Meeting on Feb 13, with nominations closing on Feb 2.
World League Results Day 5
WORLD LEAGUE ROUND TWO
SINGAPORE -- JAN 17-25
FINAL STANDINGS
GROUP A
P W D L F A Pts
Malaysia 3 3 0 0 28 2 9
Oman 3 2 0 1 5 10 6
Ukraine 3 1 0 2 4 8 3
Singapore 3 0 0 3 4 21 0
GROUP B
P W D L F A Pts
Poland 3 3 0 0 14 2 9
Japan 3 2 0 1 13 4 6
B'ladesh 3 1 0 2 7 11 3
Mexico 3 0 0 3 1 18 0
RESULTS: Group A: Malaysia 5 Ukraine 1, Oman 3 Singapore
2; Group B: Japan 5 Bangladesh 1, Poland 6 Mexico 0.
Jan 18: Group B: Bangladesh 5 Mexico 1, Poland 3 Japan 2.
Jan 19: Group A: Ukraine 2 Singapore 1, Oman 0 Malaysia
7.
Jan 20: Group A: Ukraine 1 Oman 2, Malaysia 16 Singapore
1; Group B: Japan 6 Mexico 0, Bangladesh 0 Poland 5.
Jan 21: REST DAY
Jan 22: Quarter-finals: Malaysia 10 Mexico 1; Japan 5 Ukraine 0; Oman 3 Bangladesh 3 (Oman beat Bangladesh 2-0 in penalty shoot-out); Poland x Singapore (8pm).
Jan 23: Fifth-Eighth -- Mexico v Ukraine (3pm); Bangladesh v Singapore (5.30pm).
Jan 24: Semi-finals -- Malaysia v Japan (3pm); Poland v Oman (5.30pm).
Jan 25: Final and placing matches.
SINGAPORE -- JAN 17-25
FINAL STANDINGS
GROUP A
P W D L F A Pts
Malaysia 3 3 0 0 28 2 9
Oman 3 2 0 1 5 10 6
Ukraine 3 1 0 2 4 8 3
Singapore 3 0 0 3 4 21 0
GROUP B
P W D L F A Pts
Poland 3 3 0 0 14 2 9
Japan 3 2 0 1 13 4 6
B'ladesh 3 1 0 2 7 11 3
Mexico 3 0 0 3 1 18 0
RESULTS: Group A: Malaysia 5 Ukraine 1, Oman 3 Singapore
2; Group B: Japan 5 Bangladesh 1, Poland 6 Mexico 0.
Jan 18: Group B: Bangladesh 5 Mexico 1, Poland 3 Japan 2.
Jan 19: Group A: Ukraine 2 Singapore 1, Oman 0 Malaysia
7.
Jan 20: Group A: Ukraine 1 Oman 2, Malaysia 16 Singapore
1; Group B: Japan 6 Mexico 0, Bangladesh 0 Poland 5.
Jan 21: REST DAY
Jan 22: Quarter-finals: Malaysia 10 Mexico 1; Japan 5 Ukraine 0; Oman 3 Bangladesh 3 (Oman beat Bangladesh 2-0 in penalty shoot-out); Poland x Singapore (8pm).
Jan 23: Fifth-Eighth -- Mexico v Ukraine (3pm); Bangladesh v Singapore (5.30pm).
Jan 24: Semi-finals -- Malaysia v Japan (3pm); Poland v Oman (5.30pm).
Jan 25: Final and placing matches.
Wednesday, January 21, 2015
Tequila Sunrise at Sengkang Thursday
MALAYSIA'S quarter-final against Mexico today is a warm-up to a bigger task at hand, as a Japan semi-finals await them in the World League Round Two at the Sengkang Stadium in Singapore.
Japan play Ukraine in the quarters, and judging by form and ranking, the Japanese are hot favourites to advance to the last four.
As for Mexico, they received beatings from Poland (6-0), Bangladesh (5-1) and Japan (6-0) to finish at the bottom of Group B. They meet Malaysia at 9am and surely, there will not be a Tequila Sunrise at the Sengkang Stadium for the South Americans.
The Mexican's were not willing partners to travel to Singapore, because they had finished second behind Chile in WL Round 1 in Guadalajara but when Fiji pulled out of the tournament here, the International Hockey Federation threw them a life-line which they gladly grabbed and traveled half the globe.
In WL 1, Mexico lost 3-1 to Chile, beat Guatemala 15-1 and drew 0-0 with Brazil before winning the shoot-out 3-0.
"We were a little slow off the block in our first match against Ukraine (5-1) and I believe it was because the MHL (Malaysia Hockey League) had just ended and the players were a little rusty physically. But the win against Singapore (16-1) saw a better performance and I believe the semi-finals could be a little tougher, but we are ready to face either Ukraine or Japan," said Malaysian coach Tai Beng Hai.
Beng Hai did not even mention Mexico, because a win is assured, while only the scoreline remains to be recorded.
Malaysia, who beat Singapore 8-2 in the Asian Games, were hardly challenged by the hosts at their own back-yard, but even in heavy defeat, their 500-odd fans cheered them until the final whistle, and them gave them a standing ovation.
However, the Singapore Press tore their association apart for the huge defeat, suggesting drastic changes as they will host the Sea Games hockey in a few months time.
Faizal Saari, who scored six out of the 16, said he is able to handle his temperament and play better hockey after being benched for the Commonwealth and Asian Games for unruly and disruptive behaviour.
"I'm much more composed now, and this is my highest scoring margin in an international tournament, but I hope to to even better and help the team win gold in this tournament," said Fazial.
Faizal will get a chance to practice his shooting against Mexico, and he might just break his personal record.
Malaysia have the best chance to win gold in Singapore, and advance to the World League Semi-finals at either Belgium or Argentina which offer tickets to the 2016 Rio de Janeiro Olympics, a platform where Malaysia last played in Sydney 2000.
Japan play Ukraine in the quarters, and judging by form and ranking, the Japanese are hot favourites to advance to the last four.
As for Mexico, they received beatings from Poland (6-0), Bangladesh (5-1) and Japan (6-0) to finish at the bottom of Group B. They meet Malaysia at 9am and surely, there will not be a Tequila Sunrise at the Sengkang Stadium for the South Americans.
The Mexican's were not willing partners to travel to Singapore, because they had finished second behind Chile in WL Round 1 in Guadalajara but when Fiji pulled out of the tournament here, the International Hockey Federation threw them a life-line which they gladly grabbed and traveled half the globe.
In WL 1, Mexico lost 3-1 to Chile, beat Guatemala 15-1 and drew 0-0 with Brazil before winning the shoot-out 3-0.
"We were a little slow off the block in our first match against Ukraine (5-1) and I believe it was because the MHL (Malaysia Hockey League) had just ended and the players were a little rusty physically. But the win against Singapore (16-1) saw a better performance and I believe the semi-finals could be a little tougher, but we are ready to face either Ukraine or Japan," said Malaysian coach Tai Beng Hai.
Beng Hai did not even mention Mexico, because a win is assured, while only the scoreline remains to be recorded.
Malaysia, who beat Singapore 8-2 in the Asian Games, were hardly challenged by the hosts at their own back-yard, but even in heavy defeat, their 500-odd fans cheered them until the final whistle, and them gave them a standing ovation.
However, the Singapore Press tore their association apart for the huge defeat, suggesting drastic changes as they will host the Sea Games hockey in a few months time.
Faizal Saari, who scored six out of the 16, said he is able to handle his temperament and play better hockey after being benched for the Commonwealth and Asian Games for unruly and disruptive behaviour.
"I'm much more composed now, and this is my highest scoring margin in an international tournament, but I hope to to even better and help the team win gold in this tournament," said Fazial.
Faizal will get a chance to practice his shooting against Mexico, and he might just break his personal record.
Malaysia have the best chance to win gold in Singapore, and advance to the World League Semi-finals at either Belgium or Argentina which offer tickets to the 2016 Rio de Janeiro Olympics, a platform where Malaysia last played in Sydney 2000.
Tuesday, January 20, 2015
World League Round Two Day 4 Results
WORLD LEAGUE ROUND TWO
SINGAPORE -- JAN 17-25
FINAL STANDINGS
GROUP A
P W D L F A Pts
Malaysia 3 3 0 0 28 2 9
Oman 3 2 0 1 5 10 6
Ukraine 3 1 0 2 4 8 3
Singapore 3 0 0 3 4 21 0
GROUP B
P W D L F A Pts
Poland 3 3 0 0 14 2 9
Japan 3 2 0 1 13 4 6
B'ladesh 3 1 0 2 7 11 3
Mexico 3 0 0 3 1 18 0
RESULTS: Group A: Malaysia 5 Ukraine 1, Oman 3 Singapore
2; Group B: Japan 5 Bangladesh 1, Poland 6 Mexico 0.
Jan 18: Group B: Bangladesh 5 Mexico 1, Poland 3 Japan 2.
Jan 19: Group A: Ukraine 2 Singapore 1, Oman 0 Malaysia
7.
Jan 20: Group A: Ukraine 1 Oman 2, Malaysia 16 Singapore
1; Group B: Japan 6 Mexico 0, Bangladesh 0 Poland 5.
Jan 21: REST DAY
Jan 22: Quarter-finals: Malaysia v Mexico (9am); Japan v Ukraine (3pm); Oman v Bangladesh (5pm); Poland v Singapore (8pm).
Jan 23: Fifth-Eighth
Jan 24: Semi-finals
Jan 25: Final and placing matches.
SINGAPORE -- JAN 17-25
FINAL STANDINGS
GROUP A
P W D L F A Pts
Malaysia 3 3 0 0 28 2 9
Oman 3 2 0 1 5 10 6
Ukraine 3 1 0 2 4 8 3
Singapore 3 0 0 3 4 21 0
GROUP B
P W D L F A Pts
Poland 3 3 0 0 14 2 9
Japan 3 2 0 1 13 4 6
B'ladesh 3 1 0 2 7 11 3
Mexico 3 0 0 3 1 18 0
RESULTS: Group A: Malaysia 5 Ukraine 1, Oman 3 Singapore
2; Group B: Japan 5 Bangladesh 1, Poland 6 Mexico 0.
Jan 18: Group B: Bangladesh 5 Mexico 1, Poland 3 Japan 2.
Jan 19: Group A: Ukraine 2 Singapore 1, Oman 0 Malaysia
7.
Jan 20: Group A: Ukraine 1 Oman 2, Malaysia 16 Singapore
1; Group B: Japan 6 Mexico 0, Bangladesh 0 Poland 5.
Jan 21: REST DAY
Jan 22: Quarter-finals: Malaysia v Mexico (9am); Japan v Ukraine (3pm); Oman v Bangladesh (5pm); Poland v Singapore (8pm).
Jan 23: Fifth-Eighth
Jan 24: Semi-finals
Jan 25: Final and placing matches.
Malaysia 16 Singapore 1
MALAYSIA justified their top billing by hammering Singapore 16-1 to top Group A in the World League Round Two at the Sengkang Stadium in Singapore yesterday.
Faizal Saari was the toast of the day as he scored six goals to completely blank out the hosts, for the biggest win record against Singapore.
And now, coach Tai Beng Hai's men will play Mexico in the quarter-finals, which should be another walk in the park. Mexico finished last in Group B when they lost all three matches and could only score one goal while they let in 18.
Poland topped Group B and will play Singapore in the quarters, while Japan will meet Ukraine and Oman play Bangladesh in the other quarter-finals.
Team manager Datuk Nur Azmi Ahmad said as the top seeds, ranked 13th in the world, the players did well to top the group.
"This is what we expected form the players and they did not disappoint and kept true to their top billing in the tournament.
"We only conceded two goals ( one more against Ukraine) and had good winning scorelines in all three matches, now we will have to do much better in the knock-out stages and claim the ticket to the World League .Semi-finals by playing in the final," said Nur Azmi.
On Malaysia's match against Mexico: "It should be another win for Malaysia, and I believe we are highly likely to play Japan in the semi-finals and that could be the only difficult match but again, we should win it," said Nur Azmi.
Yesterday, Malaysia went for early goals and won two early penalty corners but Razie Rahim flicked wide to the relief of the home fans.
However, in the fifth minute a penalty stroke was won and Faizal Saari calmly slotted in the lead, which opened the floodgates.
Faizal went on to score five more in the 19th, 25th, 31st, 32nd, 51st; the other goals were scored by Firhan Ashaari (13th, 25th), Razie Rahim (24th,2nd ), Haziq Shamsul (37th, 53rd), Marhan Jalil (42nd), Izwan Firdaus (44th) and Tengku Ahmad Tajuddin (58th, 59th).
The Singapore consolation was scored by Ian Vanderput in the 33rd minute.
Malaysia have the best chance to win gold in Singapore, and advance to the World League Semi-finals on a confident note.
The WL Semi-finals at either Belgium or Argentina offer tickets to the 2016 Rio de Janeiro Olympics, a platform where Malaysia last played in Sydney 2000.
For the record, Malaysia finished fifth in the last World League semi-finals and qualified for the 2014 World Cup at the Netherlands
Faizal Saari was the toast of the day as he scored six goals to completely blank out the hosts, for the biggest win record against Singapore.
And now, coach Tai Beng Hai's men will play Mexico in the quarter-finals, which should be another walk in the park. Mexico finished last in Group B when they lost all three matches and could only score one goal while they let in 18.
Poland topped Group B and will play Singapore in the quarters, while Japan will meet Ukraine and Oman play Bangladesh in the other quarter-finals.
Team manager Datuk Nur Azmi Ahmad said as the top seeds, ranked 13th in the world, the players did well to top the group.
"This is what we expected form the players and they did not disappoint and kept true to their top billing in the tournament.
"We only conceded two goals ( one more against Ukraine) and had good winning scorelines in all three matches, now we will have to do much better in the knock-out stages and claim the ticket to the World League .Semi-finals by playing in the final," said Nur Azmi.
On Malaysia's match against Mexico: "It should be another win for Malaysia, and I believe we are highly likely to play Japan in the semi-finals and that could be the only difficult match but again, we should win it," said Nur Azmi.
Yesterday, Malaysia went for early goals and won two early penalty corners but Razie Rahim flicked wide to the relief of the home fans.
However, in the fifth minute a penalty stroke was won and Faizal Saari calmly slotted in the lead, which opened the floodgates.
Faizal went on to score five more in the 19th, 25th, 31st, 32nd, 51st; the other goals were scored by Firhan Ashaari (13th, 25th), Razie Rahim (24th,2nd ), Haziq Shamsul (37th, 53rd), Marhan Jalil (42nd), Izwan Firdaus (44th) and Tengku Ahmad Tajuddin (58th, 59th).
The Singapore consolation was scored by Ian Vanderput in the 33rd minute.
Malaysia have the best chance to win gold in Singapore, and advance to the World League Semi-finals on a confident note.
The WL Semi-finals at either Belgium or Argentina offer tickets to the 2016 Rio de Janeiro Olympics, a platform where Malaysia last played in Sydney 2000.
For the record, Malaysia finished fifth in the last World League semi-finals and qualified for the 2014 World Cup at the Netherlands
Monday, January 19, 2015
World League Round Two 3rd Day Results
WORLD LEAGUE ROUND TWO
SINGAPORE -- JAN 17-25
GROUP A
P W D L F A Pts
Malaysia 2 2 0 0 12 1 6
Ukraine 2 1 0 1 3 6 3
Oman 2 1 0 1 3 9 3
Singapore 2 0 0 2 3 5 0
GROUP B
P W D L F A Pts
Poland 2 2 0 0 9 2 6
Japan 2 1 0 1 7 4 3
B'ladesh 2 1 0 1 7 6 3
Mexico 2 0 0 2 1 12 0
RESULTS: Group A: Malaysia 5 Ukraine 1, Oman 3 Singapore
2; Group B: Japan 5 Bangladesh 1, Poland 6 Mexico 0.
Jan 18: Group B: Bangladesh 5 Mexico 1, Poland 3 Japan 2.
Jan 19: Group A: Ukraine 2 Singapore 1, Oman 0 Malaysia
7.
Jan 20: Group A: Ukraine v Oman (5.30pm), Malaysia v Singapore
(8pm); Group B: Japan v Mexico (9am), Bangladesh v Poland (3pm).
Jan 21: REST DAY
Jan 22: Quarter-finals
Jan 23: Fifth-Eighth
Jan 24: Semi-finals
Jan 25: Final and placing matches.
SINGAPORE -- JAN 17-25
GROUP A
P W D L F A Pts
Malaysia 2 2 0 0 12 1 6
Ukraine 2 1 0 1 3 6 3
Oman 2 1 0 1 3 9 3
Singapore 2 0 0 2 3 5 0
GROUP B
P W D L F A Pts
Poland 2 2 0 0 9 2 6
Japan 2 1 0 1 7 4 3
B'ladesh 2 1 0 1 7 6 3
Mexico 2 0 0 2 1 12 0
RESULTS: Group A: Malaysia 5 Ukraine 1, Oman 3 Singapore
2; Group B: Japan 5 Bangladesh 1, Poland 6 Mexico 0.
Jan 18: Group B: Bangladesh 5 Mexico 1, Poland 3 Japan 2.
Jan 19: Group A: Ukraine 2 Singapore 1, Oman 0 Malaysia
7.
Jan 20: Group A: Ukraine v Oman (5.30pm), Malaysia v Singapore
(8pm); Group B: Japan v Mexico (9am), Bangladesh v Poland (3pm).
Jan 21: REST DAY
Jan 22: Quarter-finals
Jan 23: Fifth-Eighth
Jan 24: Semi-finals
Jan 25: Final and placing matches.
Better show: Malaysia 7 Oman 0
MALAYSIA played to their rankings and beat Oman 7-0 to virtually seal the top spot in Group A of the World League Second Round at the Sengkang Stadium yesterday.
Their next opponents are Singapore today, but after the hosts were beaten 2-1 by Ukraine, Malaysia look set to seal the three points while Singapore will be out to reduce the goals.
For the record, Malaysia beat Ukraine 5-1.
"It was a good win but in this tournament there is no need to chase for goals, as a win is all we need to top the group and have an easier opponent in the quarter-finals. Today (yesterday) there was better understanding and structure and we have also better understanding of the pitch condition," said Malaysian coach Tai Beng Hai.
On Singapore, which is their final Group A match: "Although Singapore have lost both their matches, but we cant take them lightly. We never take any team lightly, or undeestimate opponents, because that can be disastrous," said Beng Hai.
Malaysia should beat Singapore and top Group A, and their likely quarter-finals opponents are Mexico.
Although Oman parked the bus early at the Sengkang Stadium goalmouth, they could only last for seven minutes as Razie Rahim scored off the first penalty corner of the match.
However, the Oman defense was more stubborn than anticipated, and two more penalty corners as well as four shots at goal were well defended as the teams went in for the first quarter water-break.
But a minute after the break, 17th, Faizal Saari nailed the second goal and the game was almost sealed by Beng Hai's top seeded team.
Oman, a hard-running team, were beaten again in the 22nd minute when Marhan Jalil scored off a penalty corner rebound.
The fourth goal was made to look like a training drill, when Marhan tapped home from close range for his brace in the 27th minute. That eased the pressure and three other goals came with ease off Faizal Saari (38th), Izwan Firdaus (44th) and Tengku Ahmad Tajuddin (46th).
Their next opponents are Singapore today, but after the hosts were beaten 2-1 by Ukraine, Malaysia look set to seal the three points while Singapore will be out to reduce the goals.
For the record, Malaysia beat Ukraine 5-1.
"It was a good win but in this tournament there is no need to chase for goals, as a win is all we need to top the group and have an easier opponent in the quarter-finals. Today (yesterday) there was better understanding and structure and we have also better understanding of the pitch condition," said Malaysian coach Tai Beng Hai.
On Singapore, which is their final Group A match: "Although Singapore have lost both their matches, but we cant take them lightly. We never take any team lightly, or undeestimate opponents, because that can be disastrous," said Beng Hai.
Malaysia should beat Singapore and top Group A, and their likely quarter-finals opponents are Mexico.
Although Oman parked the bus early at the Sengkang Stadium goalmouth, they could only last for seven minutes as Razie Rahim scored off the first penalty corner of the match.
However, the Oman defense was more stubborn than anticipated, and two more penalty corners as well as four shots at goal were well defended as the teams went in for the first quarter water-break.
But a minute after the break, 17th, Faizal Saari nailed the second goal and the game was almost sealed by Beng Hai's top seeded team.
Oman, a hard-running team, were beaten again in the 22nd minute when Marhan Jalil scored off a penalty corner rebound.
The fourth goal was made to look like a training drill, when Marhan tapped home from close range for his brace in the 27th minute. That eased the pressure and three other goals came with ease off Faizal Saari (38th), Izwan Firdaus (44th) and Tengku Ahmad Tajuddin (46th).
Sunday, January 18, 2015
World League Round 2: Day 2 Results
WORLD LEAGUE ROUND TWO
SINGAPORE -- JAN 17-25
GROUP A
P W D L F A Pts
Malaysia 1 1 0 0 5 1 3
Oman 1 1 0 0 3 2 3
Singapore 1 0 0 1 2 3 0
Ukraine 1 0 0 1 1 5 0
GROUP B
P W D L F A Pts
Poland 2 2 0 0 9 2 6
Japan 2 1 0 1 7 4 3
B'ladesh 2 1 0 1 6 6 3
Mexico 2 0 0 2 1 11 0
RESULTS: Group A: Malaysia 5 Ukraine 1, Oman 3 Singapore
2; Group B: Japan 5 Bangladesh 1, Poland 6 Mexico 0.
Jan 18: Group B: Bangladesh 5 Mexico 1, Poland 3 Japan 2.
Jan 19: Group A: Ukraine v Singapore (3pm), Oman v Malaysia
(5.30pm).
Jan 20: Group A: Ukraine v Oman (5.30pm), Malaysia v Singapore
(8pm); Group B: Japan v Mexico (9am), Bangladesh v Poland (3pm).
Jan 21: REST DAY
Jan 22: Quarter-finals
Jan 23: Fifth-Eighth
Jan 24: Semi-finals
Jan 25: Final and placing matches.
SINGAPORE -- JAN 17-25
GROUP A
P W D L F A Pts
Malaysia 1 1 0 0 5 1 3
Oman 1 1 0 0 3 2 3
Singapore 1 0 0 1 2 3 0
Ukraine 1 0 0 1 1 5 0
GROUP B
P W D L F A Pts
Poland 2 2 0 0 9 2 6
Japan 2 1 0 1 7 4 3
B'ladesh 2 1 0 1 6 6 3
Mexico 2 0 0 2 1 11 0
RESULTS: Group A: Malaysia 5 Ukraine 1, Oman 3 Singapore
2; Group B: Japan 5 Bangladesh 1, Poland 6 Mexico 0.
Jan 18: Group B: Bangladesh 5 Mexico 1, Poland 3 Japan 2.
Jan 19: Group A: Ukraine v Singapore (3pm), Oman v Malaysia
(5.30pm).
Jan 20: Group A: Ukraine v Oman (5.30pm), Malaysia v Singapore
(8pm); Group B: Japan v Mexico (9am), Bangladesh v Poland (3pm).
Jan 21: REST DAY
Jan 22: Quarter-finals
Jan 23: Fifth-Eighth
Jan 24: Semi-finals
Jan 25: Final and placing matches.
Beng Hai not impressed....
MALAYSIA played well below par against Ukaine in the World League Round Two in Singapore, and the 5-1 winning scoreline did not even impress coach Tai Beng Hai.
Beng Hai brought out the knives out early as Ukraine were never in the match, but were made to look good for three quarters because of a bungling forwardline, led in shame by Firhan Ashaari.
The coach only had one day to talk his players out of their comfort zone before they take on rough-riders Oman, who beat hosts Singapore 3-2 on Saturday.
"Im not impressed as the team did not play hockey for the first three quarters and we can't afford this in the remainder of the tournament," said Beng Hai.
"Maybe the newly-laid pitch, as well as it (Ukraine) being our first match could be some of the factors that caused a jittery start but now that we have gotten over both, we must play differently against Oman," said Beng Hai.
Firhan, 22, has turned out 67 times for the country, including five matches in the recent World Cup at the Hague where he scored one goal -- but against Ukraine he was a total flop.
"I felt that I played OK, but then again, I have played better before with less mistakes made in the semi-circle," admitted Firhan.
Circle penatrations were numerous against Ukraine, but Malaysia only won five penalty corners and shots at goal were few and apart. However, Izwan Firdaus scored two penalty corner rebound goals to ease the pressure when flickers Razie Rahim and Faizal Saari found the Ukraine goalkeeper to be a big wall.
"The third pass was a big problem as the forwards could not connect after that, and we can't afford it against a hard-playing country like Oman," said Beng Hai.
Oman's penalty corner flicker Mohamed Bait Jandal scored a brace to claim Singapore's scalp, and Malaysia can't afford to make the same mistakes as this tournament is supposed to be a walk in the park for Beng Hai's top-seeded players.
All eight teams qualify for the quarter-finals but Malaysia need to finish tops in Group A to play the bottom team in Group B with could be either Bangladesh of Mexico.
The stakes are high in Singapore as three teams qualify for the World League Semi-finals in either Belgium or Argentina -- which offers tickets to the 2016 Rio De Janeiro Olympics.
Beng Hai brought out the knives out early as Ukraine were never in the match, but were made to look good for three quarters because of a bungling forwardline, led in shame by Firhan Ashaari.
The coach only had one day to talk his players out of their comfort zone before they take on rough-riders Oman, who beat hosts Singapore 3-2 on Saturday.
"Im not impressed as the team did not play hockey for the first three quarters and we can't afford this in the remainder of the tournament," said Beng Hai.
"Maybe the newly-laid pitch, as well as it (Ukraine) being our first match could be some of the factors that caused a jittery start but now that we have gotten over both, we must play differently against Oman," said Beng Hai.
Firhan, 22, has turned out 67 times for the country, including five matches in the recent World Cup at the Hague where he scored one goal -- but against Ukraine he was a total flop.
"I felt that I played OK, but then again, I have played better before with less mistakes made in the semi-circle," admitted Firhan.
Circle penatrations were numerous against Ukraine, but Malaysia only won five penalty corners and shots at goal were few and apart. However, Izwan Firdaus scored two penalty corner rebound goals to ease the pressure when flickers Razie Rahim and Faizal Saari found the Ukraine goalkeeper to be a big wall.
"The third pass was a big problem as the forwards could not connect after that, and we can't afford it against a hard-playing country like Oman," said Beng Hai.
Oman's penalty corner flicker Mohamed Bait Jandal scored a brace to claim Singapore's scalp, and Malaysia can't afford to make the same mistakes as this tournament is supposed to be a walk in the park for Beng Hai's top-seeded players.
All eight teams qualify for the quarter-finals but Malaysia need to finish tops in Group A to play the bottom team in Group B with could be either Bangladesh of Mexico.
The stakes are high in Singapore as three teams qualify for the World League Semi-finals in either Belgium or Argentina -- which offers tickets to the 2016 Rio De Janeiro Olympics.
Saturday, January 17, 2015
World League Round Two Results Day 1
WORLD LEAGUE ROUND TWO
SINGAPORE -- JAN 17-25
GROUP A
P W D L F A Pts
Malaysia 1 1 0 0 5 1 3
Oman 1 1 0 0 3 2 3
Singapore 1 0 0 1 2 3 0
Ukraine 1 0 0 1 1 5 0
GROUP B
P W D L F A Pts
Poland 1 1 0 0 6 0 3
Japan 1 1 0 0 5 1 3
B'ladesh 1 0 0 1 1 5 0
Mexico 1 0 0 1 0 6 0
RESULTS: Group A: Malaysia 5 Ukraine 1, Oman 3 Singapore 2; Group B: Japan 5 Bangladesh 1, Poland 6 Mexico 0.
FIXTURES (Malaysian time):
Jan 18: Group B: Bangladesh v Mexico (3pm), Poland v Japan (5.30pm).
Jan 19: Group A: Ukraine v Singapore (3pm), Oman v Malaysia
(5.30pm).
Jan 20: Group A: Ukraine v Oman (5.30pm), Malaysia v Singapore
(8pm); Group B: Japan v Mexico (9am), Bangladesh v Poland (3pm).
Jan 21: REST DAY
Jan 22: Quarter-finals
Jan 23: Fifth-Eighth
Jan 24: Semi-finals
Jan 25: Final and placing matches.
SINGAPORE -- JAN 17-25
GROUP A
P W D L F A Pts
Malaysia 1 1 0 0 5 1 3
Oman 1 1 0 0 3 2 3
Singapore 1 0 0 1 2 3 0
Ukraine 1 0 0 1 1 5 0
GROUP B
P W D L F A Pts
Poland 1 1 0 0 6 0 3
Japan 1 1 0 0 5 1 3
B'ladesh 1 0 0 1 1 5 0
Mexico 1 0 0 1 0 6 0
RESULTS: Group A: Malaysia 5 Ukraine 1, Oman 3 Singapore 2; Group B: Japan 5 Bangladesh 1, Poland 6 Mexico 0.
FIXTURES (Malaysian time):
Jan 18: Group B: Bangladesh v Mexico (3pm), Poland v Japan (5.30pm).
Jan 19: Group A: Ukraine v Singapore (3pm), Oman v Malaysia
(5.30pm).
Jan 20: Group A: Ukraine v Oman (5.30pm), Malaysia v Singapore
(8pm); Group B: Japan v Mexico (9am), Bangladesh v Poland (3pm).
Jan 21: REST DAY
Jan 22: Quarter-finals
Jan 23: Fifth-Eighth
Jan 24: Semi-finals
Jan 25: Final and placing matches.
Malaysia 5 Ukraine 1
MALAYSIA struggled in the early stages but went on to beat Ukraine 5-1 in the World League Second Round when the forward-line failed miserably and the blushes were saved by penalty corners at the Sengkang Stadium in Singapore.
There was no understanding in the scoring semi-circle in the first three quarters, and if they continue to turn easy matches into troubling ones, misery awaits them in the knock-out stages.
"Yes it was a slow start and I attribute it to the newly laid pitch. But when my players got used to in late in the match, the match was won on a comfortable score and what matters most is the three points in the opening match.
"Penalty corners, even though few (five) saved the day, and now we are looking forward to better matches in this tournament," said Malaysian coach Tai Beng Hai.
Tournament top seed Malaysia started in a chaotic manner as Ukraine defended with numbers in the first quarter of the match.
However, in the 13th minute, a Tengku Ahmad Tajuddin's shot at goal went sailing into the goalmouth but just to make sure, Faizal Saari connected it in for the lead.
The second quarter was much better as Malaysia found their first penalty corner of the match in the 19th minute, and Razie Rahim's drive hit a defenders' leg and a penalty stroke was awarded.
Razie stepped up to the spot, and flicked in for a 2-0 lead.
The celebrations ended in the 24th minute when a freak deflection from Vitali Kalinchuk sent the ball crashing to the top of the net beating a surprised looking Malaysian goalkeeper S. Kumar.
The score was a narrow 2-1 even though Malaysia are ranked 13th while Ukraine 24th in the world.
Malaysia's second penalty corner by Faizal hit the post, but the third penalty corner in the 36th minute saw Razie's drive stopped by the goalkeeper Laroslav Hordey but Izwan Firdaus was at hand to slam in the rebound for 3-1.
Izwan again scored off a penalty corner rebound goal in the 53rd minute to bring the score to a 4-1, while Haziq Shamsul scored in the 57th minute to make it a respectable win.
Meanwhile in Group B, World No 14 Japan whipped Bangladesh 5-1 but coach Kang Keon Wook felt the scoreline did not do justice to the match.
"We did not expect such a big scoreline and I feel that we were quite lucky as Bangladesh are fast closing the gap with us. We do not have the best players in Singapore as after the Asian Games many of our seasoned campaigners picked up injuries playing in the local league and I had to make many changes and inject some fresh faces.
"Even then, we hope to play in the final and qualify for the World League Semi-finals," said Kang.
There was no understanding in the scoring semi-circle in the first three quarters, and if they continue to turn easy matches into troubling ones, misery awaits them in the knock-out stages.
"Yes it was a slow start and I attribute it to the newly laid pitch. But when my players got used to in late in the match, the match was won on a comfortable score and what matters most is the three points in the opening match.
"Penalty corners, even though few (five) saved the day, and now we are looking forward to better matches in this tournament," said Malaysian coach Tai Beng Hai.
Tournament top seed Malaysia started in a chaotic manner as Ukraine defended with numbers in the first quarter of the match.
However, in the 13th minute, a Tengku Ahmad Tajuddin's shot at goal went sailing into the goalmouth but just to make sure, Faizal Saari connected it in for the lead.
The second quarter was much better as Malaysia found their first penalty corner of the match in the 19th minute, and Razie Rahim's drive hit a defenders' leg and a penalty stroke was awarded.
Razie stepped up to the spot, and flicked in for a 2-0 lead.
The celebrations ended in the 24th minute when a freak deflection from Vitali Kalinchuk sent the ball crashing to the top of the net beating a surprised looking Malaysian goalkeeper S. Kumar.
The score was a narrow 2-1 even though Malaysia are ranked 13th while Ukraine 24th in the world.
Malaysia's second penalty corner by Faizal hit the post, but the third penalty corner in the 36th minute saw Razie's drive stopped by the goalkeeper Laroslav Hordey but Izwan Firdaus was at hand to slam in the rebound for 3-1.
Izwan again scored off a penalty corner rebound goal in the 53rd minute to bring the score to a 4-1, while Haziq Shamsul scored in the 57th minute to make it a respectable win.
Meanwhile in Group B, World No 14 Japan whipped Bangladesh 5-1 but coach Kang Keon Wook felt the scoreline did not do justice to the match.
"We did not expect such a big scoreline and I feel that we were quite lucky as Bangladesh are fast closing the gap with us. We do not have the best players in Singapore as after the Asian Games many of our seasoned campaigners picked up injuries playing in the local league and I had to make many changes and inject some fresh faces.
"Even then, we hope to play in the final and qualify for the World League Semi-finals," said Kang.
Cant afford a slip-up against Ukraine...
MALAYSIA will face unknown entity Ukraine in the curtain raiser of the World League Round Two in Sinapore today, and they need to score early goals against the robust and hard-playing Russians for a good start.
Playing in Group A, coach Tai Beng Hai's world no 13 team can't afford any more slip-ups, as Ukraine are ranked 24th, Oman 22nd and Singapore 36th.
Japan, ranked 14th, are in Group B with Poland (18th), Bangladesh (30th) and Mexico (35th).
Stakes are very high for Malaysia, as the top three teams qualify for the WL Semi-finals and a shot at the 2016 Rio de Janeiro Olympics. The last time Malaysia played in the Olympics was in Sydney 2000.
The only inside into the Ukranian style was unveiled when they played Bangladesh in a friendly and won 2-1, but Bangladesh coach K. Gobinathan said his team should have won by 10 goals if not for the missed sitters.
And that, missing sitters, was Malaysia's bane last year.
Skipper Razie Rahim has a double task of defending penalty corners as well as scoring them to keep Malaysia afloat in the tournament. All eight teams qualify for the quarter-finals, but Malaysia need to finish tops in their Group to justufy their rankings and enter the knock-out stages on a high.
"The pitch is new and a little bumpy in certain areas, but not at the penalty corner areas and in traning, my attempts at goal have been satisfactory. Also, at the Asian Games (where he scored nine goals) I was the only flicker but here, I have Faizal Saari and the options are better," said the lanky Razie.
The forward line of Tengku Ahmad Tajuddin, Faizal Saari, Izwan Firdaus, Firhan Ashaari and Haziq Samsul can't afford too miss sitters, as lower rakned teams normally grow in confidence when the score remains 0-0 for a long period.
In midfield, Malaysia has one of the best in pint-sized Faiz Helmi who barely stands at 5 feet, but has not shown any fear when playing robust and teller Europeans in his 66 caps for the country. He first played in the Champions Challenge in Argentina in 2012 and is among the main-stays now.
"As always, I am ready and fearless against any team in the world. This tournament is no different as our aim is to win place in the final and qualify for the WL Semi-finals early. We will be discussing about Ukraine later tonight (yesterday) and plan for a win," said the small-built player with a big heart.
In Faiz, Malaysia has a role model on how to become champions in Singapore.
Playing in Group A, coach Tai Beng Hai's world no 13 team can't afford any more slip-ups, as Ukraine are ranked 24th, Oman 22nd and Singapore 36th.
Japan, ranked 14th, are in Group B with Poland (18th), Bangladesh (30th) and Mexico (35th).
Stakes are very high for Malaysia, as the top three teams qualify for the WL Semi-finals and a shot at the 2016 Rio de Janeiro Olympics. The last time Malaysia played in the Olympics was in Sydney 2000.
The only inside into the Ukranian style was unveiled when they played Bangladesh in a friendly and won 2-1, but Bangladesh coach K. Gobinathan said his team should have won by 10 goals if not for the missed sitters.
And that, missing sitters, was Malaysia's bane last year.
Skipper Razie Rahim has a double task of defending penalty corners as well as scoring them to keep Malaysia afloat in the tournament. All eight teams qualify for the quarter-finals, but Malaysia need to finish tops in their Group to justufy their rankings and enter the knock-out stages on a high.
"The pitch is new and a little bumpy in certain areas, but not at the penalty corner areas and in traning, my attempts at goal have been satisfactory. Also, at the Asian Games (where he scored nine goals) I was the only flicker but here, I have Faizal Saari and the options are better," said the lanky Razie.
The forward line of Tengku Ahmad Tajuddin, Faizal Saari, Izwan Firdaus, Firhan Ashaari and Haziq Samsul can't afford too miss sitters, as lower rakned teams normally grow in confidence when the score remains 0-0 for a long period.
In midfield, Malaysia has one of the best in pint-sized Faiz Helmi who barely stands at 5 feet, but has not shown any fear when playing robust and teller Europeans in his 66 caps for the country. He first played in the Champions Challenge in Argentina in 2012 and is among the main-stays now.
"As always, I am ready and fearless against any team in the world. This tournament is no different as our aim is to win place in the final and qualify for the WL Semi-finals early. We will be discussing about Ukraine later tonight (yesterday) and plan for a win," said the small-built player with a big heart.
In Faiz, Malaysia has a role model on how to become champions in Singapore.
Hawgood: At least 30 months to deliver...
NEW broom Australian Neil Hawgood believes Malaysia has many skilful and talented players, but he will need at least two and a half years before he can turn them into medal winners.
Hawgood has been hired as consultant for the Singapore World League Round Two, and that was his assessment after watching coach Tai Beng Hai's players train at the Sengkang Stadium.
"Well it took me two and a half years to turn the India women's team around, (and that should be the yardstick)," he said yesterday.
The senior Indian women qualified for the World Cup, while the juniors won bronze in the Junior World Cup.
Hawgood is being courted as the national coach, but first, the National Sports Council (NSC) wants the Malaysian Hockey Confederation (MHC) to clean up their amended constitution before talks about a foreign coach can move further.
His contract with India expired in December, and if all goes well Hawgood could just be foreign coach that MHC have been trying to secure for the last year.
When asked if he will adapt the Australian style in Malaysia: "No, that is not the approach I will take as every country has its own strength in playing hockey and I will work to improve some weak departments but not the sytle of play as Malaysia has very skilful players and I will work with this unique charachter and balance it out to bring out the best," said Hawgood.
Malaysia has seen many foreign coaches before Hawgood and even the likes of Australian Terry Walsh, and Germans Volker Knapp, Paul Lissek and South African Paul Revington could not do much to improve the world rankings.
Malaysia are stuck on no 13: "World rankings do not mean a thing because world no 20 teams have finished fifth in the World League. India are the best in Asia, but second to South Korea in the world.
"The main aim is to develop a winning mentality, and with it, medals will come and naturally, the rankings will also be better."
In Singapore Hawgood said Malaysia have had a very good preparation, and if the players focus on the task at hand, winning a gold medal is not beyond this team.
Hawgood has been hired as consultant for the Singapore World League Round Two, and that was his assessment after watching coach Tai Beng Hai's players train at the Sengkang Stadium.
"Well it took me two and a half years to turn the India women's team around, (and that should be the yardstick)," he said yesterday.
The senior Indian women qualified for the World Cup, while the juniors won bronze in the Junior World Cup.
Hawgood is being courted as the national coach, but first, the National Sports Council (NSC) wants the Malaysian Hockey Confederation (MHC) to clean up their amended constitution before talks about a foreign coach can move further.
His contract with India expired in December, and if all goes well Hawgood could just be foreign coach that MHC have been trying to secure for the last year.
When asked if he will adapt the Australian style in Malaysia: "No, that is not the approach I will take as every country has its own strength in playing hockey and I will work to improve some weak departments but not the sytle of play as Malaysia has very skilful players and I will work with this unique charachter and balance it out to bring out the best," said Hawgood.
Malaysia has seen many foreign coaches before Hawgood and even the likes of Australian Terry Walsh, and Germans Volker Knapp, Paul Lissek and South African Paul Revington could not do much to improve the world rankings.
Malaysia are stuck on no 13: "World rankings do not mean a thing because world no 20 teams have finished fifth in the World League. India are the best in Asia, but second to South Korea in the world.
"The main aim is to develop a winning mentality, and with it, medals will come and naturally, the rankings will also be better."
In Singapore Hawgood said Malaysia have had a very good preparation, and if the players focus on the task at hand, winning a gold medal is not beyond this team.
Friday, January 16, 2015
Azmi: Best chance for gold
MALAYSIAN team manager Datuk Nur Azmi Ahmad believes this is the best time for Malaysia to win a gold medal, as the opponents in the World League Round Two in Singapore are not heavy-weights.
The tournament, which starts on Saturday, will see top seed Malaysia play Ukraine, Oman and Singapore. The top-three teams qualify for the World League Semi-finals which is a door to the 2016 Rio de Janeiro Olympics.
"As the top seeds I believe this is our best chance to win a gold medal and qualify for the WL Semifinals on a confident note. The teams here are not world beaters, and we can beat all of them provided there is full commitment from the players in every match.
"I have spoken the players and they are committed to the cause, as all their needs have been taken care off, and there are no more grouses off the pich. Now, they just need to give their best for the country.
Australian Neil Hawgood has been roped in as consultant to help chief coach Tain Beng Hai and he was at the Sengkang stadium with the team yesterday.
Malaysia were supposed to play a friendly with Singapore yesterday, but the match was called off as many Singapore players have picked up injuries leading to the tournament.
"We have a balanced team as our goalkeeper (S. Kumar) is among the best in the world and with good penalty corner flickers (Razie Rahim and Faizal Saari) I believe the team will not let down their fans again like last year," said Nur Azmi.
Malaysia were a total flop last year as they struggled in the World Cup, the Commonwealth Games and gave away the gold in the Champions Challenge I and the Asian Games.
Their performance against minnows, even though ranked 13th in the World also came to question when they lost to World No 29 Trinidad and Tobago 4-2 in the Glasgow Commonwealth Games.
But that is the past: "I have selected the best players, and the plan is to win the semi-finals and grab a ticket to the WL semi-finals early to avoid unnecessary pressure in the third-fourth placing match," said Beng Hai.
The tournament, which starts on Saturday, will see top seed Malaysia play Ukraine, Oman and Singapore. The top-three teams qualify for the World League Semi-finals which is a door to the 2016 Rio de Janeiro Olympics.
"As the top seeds I believe this is our best chance to win a gold medal and qualify for the WL Semifinals on a confident note. The teams here are not world beaters, and we can beat all of them provided there is full commitment from the players in every match.
"I have spoken the players and they are committed to the cause, as all their needs have been taken care off, and there are no more grouses off the pich. Now, they just need to give their best for the country.
Australian Neil Hawgood has been roped in as consultant to help chief coach Tain Beng Hai and he was at the Sengkang stadium with the team yesterday.
Malaysia were supposed to play a friendly with Singapore yesterday, but the match was called off as many Singapore players have picked up injuries leading to the tournament.
"We have a balanced team as our goalkeeper (S. Kumar) is among the best in the world and with good penalty corner flickers (Razie Rahim and Faizal Saari) I believe the team will not let down their fans again like last year," said Nur Azmi.
Malaysia were a total flop last year as they struggled in the World Cup, the Commonwealth Games and gave away the gold in the Champions Challenge I and the Asian Games.
Their performance against minnows, even though ranked 13th in the World also came to question when they lost to World No 29 Trinidad and Tobago 4-2 in the Glasgow Commonwealth Games.
But that is the past: "I have selected the best players, and the plan is to win the semi-finals and grab a ticket to the WL semi-finals early to avoid unnecessary pressure in the third-fourth placing match," said Beng Hai.
Gobinathan: Bangladesh teady for battle
BANGLADESH coach K. Gobinathan brough down a young team to the World League Round Two in Singapore, as he plans to blood them for the Junior Asia Cup in Kuantan at the end of the year,
Even the, the former Malaysian international said none of the Malaysian players can match his boys when it comes to fitness.
"The players are tactically much better after I coached them for a month, and are super fit. None of the Malaysian players can come close to their fitness level," said Gobinathan.
Bangladesh are in Group B with Japan, Poland and Mexico. In Group A are Malaysia, Oman, Ukraine and Singapore.
Gobinathan's boys played a friendly against the Malaysian juniors before arriving in Singapore, and they only lost 2-1. Yesterday, Bangladesh played against Ukraine and also lost 2-1.
"We missed too many sitters in both the games, as shooting in the semi-circle is still a big problem. However, we aim to give every team in our group a tough fight as my plan is to have a solid side for the Junior Asia Cup.
"I have 12 players in Singapore who can play for Bangladesh in the junior tournament, and I believe we have a side which can win a medal in Kuantan," said Gobinathan.
The only chance of Malaysia meeting Bangladesh is if they top Group A, and Bangladesh finishes at the bottom of Group B -- and the clash will be at the quarter-finals level.
"No way we will meet Malaysia in the quarter finals, as we aim to make an impact in this tournament," said Gobinathan.
Even the, the former Malaysian international said none of the Malaysian players can match his boys when it comes to fitness.
"The players are tactically much better after I coached them for a month, and are super fit. None of the Malaysian players can come close to their fitness level," said Gobinathan.
Bangladesh are in Group B with Japan, Poland and Mexico. In Group A are Malaysia, Oman, Ukraine and Singapore.
Gobinathan's boys played a friendly against the Malaysian juniors before arriving in Singapore, and they only lost 2-1. Yesterday, Bangladesh played against Ukraine and also lost 2-1.
"We missed too many sitters in both the games, as shooting in the semi-circle is still a big problem. However, we aim to give every team in our group a tough fight as my plan is to have a solid side for the Junior Asia Cup.
"I have 12 players in Singapore who can play for Bangladesh in the junior tournament, and I believe we have a side which can win a medal in Kuantan," said Gobinathan.
The only chance of Malaysia meeting Bangladesh is if they top Group A, and Bangladesh finishes at the bottom of Group B -- and the clash will be at the quarter-finals level.
"No way we will meet Malaysia in the quarter finals, as we aim to make an impact in this tournament," said Gobinathan.
Monday, January 12, 2015
Hawgood appointed as consultant...
AUSTRALIAN Neil Hawgood was finally accepted as a consultant, and will assist chief coach Tai Beng Hai in the Singapore World League Round Two on Jan 17-25.
However, the National Sports Council (NSC) told Malaysian Hockey Confederation (MHC) to hold their Annual General Meeting (AGM) and clean up their messy constitution before they can talk further about hiring Hawgood on a full-time basis.
Hawgood's previous attachment was with the India women's team from July 2012, and under him, India won bronze in the 17th Asian Games at Incheon, South Korea, while the junior team won a first-ever bronze medal in the 2013 World Cup.
Yesterday, MHC vice-president Datuk Nur Azmi Ahmad met NSC director general Datuk Ahamad Shapawi to iron out the coach as well as constitution issues.
MHC messed up their constitutional amendments at the Extraordinary General Meeting (EOGM) last year, and the International Hockey Federation (FIH) have offered suggestions on how to tighten it.
"The NSC have agreed to the appointment of Hawgood as consultant for the World League but we need to rectify some issues in our amended constitution before they proceed with the next step of offering him a coaching contract," said Nur Azmi Ahmad.
Beng Hai welcomed the news, even though its an 11th hour appointment as the team leave for Singapore today.
"Finally there is some concrete news about a foreign coach with the help of the NSC. I welcome the appointment of Hawgood as consultant as every little help matters in a tournament of this nature," said Beng Hai.
Malaysia have Oman (22nd), Ukraine (24th) and Singapore (36th) for company in Group A. In Group B are Japan (14th), Poland, (18th), Bangladesh (30th) and Mexico (35th).
The top-three teams in Singapore will advance to the World League Semi-finals at either Argentina or Belgium where tickets to the 2016 Rio de Janeiro Olympics await.
Malaysia are arranging for a friendly in Singapore on Thursday: "All the players are injury free and ready for the tournament," said Beng Hai as he tries to steer Malaysia to the top of the podium.
For the record, Malaysia has a spartan record of winning an FIH tournament as their only gold was won when Stephen van Huizen coached the nation at a Paris Five-Nation.
Van Huizen is now assistant to Beng Hai.
And then there was the near miss at the 2009 World Cup Qualifier in Invercargill, New Zealand, where Malaysia won silver. Then, Malaysia took the lead, only to lose 2-1 and hand the New Delhi World Cup ticket to New Zealand.
However, the National Sports Council (NSC) told Malaysian Hockey Confederation (MHC) to hold their Annual General Meeting (AGM) and clean up their messy constitution before they can talk further about hiring Hawgood on a full-time basis.
Hawgood's previous attachment was with the India women's team from July 2012, and under him, India won bronze in the 17th Asian Games at Incheon, South Korea, while the junior team won a first-ever bronze medal in the 2013 World Cup.
Yesterday, MHC vice-president Datuk Nur Azmi Ahmad met NSC director general Datuk Ahamad Shapawi to iron out the coach as well as constitution issues.
MHC messed up their constitutional amendments at the Extraordinary General Meeting (EOGM) last year, and the International Hockey Federation (FIH) have offered suggestions on how to tighten it.
"The NSC have agreed to the appointment of Hawgood as consultant for the World League but we need to rectify some issues in our amended constitution before they proceed with the next step of offering him a coaching contract," said Nur Azmi Ahmad.
Beng Hai welcomed the news, even though its an 11th hour appointment as the team leave for Singapore today.
"Finally there is some concrete news about a foreign coach with the help of the NSC. I welcome the appointment of Hawgood as consultant as every little help matters in a tournament of this nature," said Beng Hai.
Malaysia have Oman (22nd), Ukraine (24th) and Singapore (36th) for company in Group A. In Group B are Japan (14th), Poland, (18th), Bangladesh (30th) and Mexico (35th).
The top-three teams in Singapore will advance to the World League Semi-finals at either Argentina or Belgium where tickets to the 2016 Rio de Janeiro Olympics await.
Malaysia are arranging for a friendly in Singapore on Thursday: "All the players are injury free and ready for the tournament," said Beng Hai as he tries to steer Malaysia to the top of the podium.
For the record, Malaysia has a spartan record of winning an FIH tournament as their only gold was won when Stephen van Huizen coached the nation at a Paris Five-Nation.
Van Huizen is now assistant to Beng Hai.
And then there was the near miss at the 2009 World Cup Qualifier in Invercargill, New Zealand, where Malaysia won silver. Then, Malaysia took the lead, only to lose 2-1 and hand the New Delhi World Cup ticket to New Zealand.
Sunday, January 11, 2015
Azlan Misron: I want gold..
SEASONED campaigner Azlan Misron (pic) is a man of few words, as he prefers to do the talking on the pitch, but yesterday he broke the taboo with a fired up message for his mates who will be playing in the World League Round Two in Singapore on Jan 17-25.
Azlan, who has represented Malaysia for the last 14 years with a whopping 346 caps, wants his mates to give their all and erase all embarrassing 2014 records.
"Coach (Tai) Beng Hai has selected the best players and the team is mantap (solid) and we will be out to erase our embarrassing 2014 record which saw many bickering and in-fights which led to poor results on the pitch.
"I believe all the problems have been sorted out, and even though the MHC (Malaysian Hockey Confederation) has set a top-two target in Singapore, my personal target is a gold medal," said the 31 year-old Azlan
2014 saw the worst of Malaysian hockey on and off the pitch, as player-power, star players, bungling officials, fighting coaches -- all led to a string of disastrous tournaments with the climax being when they lost 4-2 to 29th ranked Trinidad and Tobago at the Glasgow Commonwealth Games.
"That is all the past, and I am looking for a new beginning as the New Year is still fresh, to bring about drastic changes in the minds of our supporters by winning gold an the Singapore World League and qualify for the World League Semi-finals with dignity," said Azlan.
Azlan will also break a Malaysian hockey caps record, as he looks set to play in all six matches in Singapore to take his tally to 350.
Last year, the Perak-born played to form in the World Cup as well as the Asian Games, but was let down by some poor play from his mates.
"This time around we have a very good understanding and by going into the tournament as top-seeds (ranked 13th in World) we need to keep our reputation intact and what better way than win the gold medal.
"Having said that, we are not overconfident playing against lower ranked teams, but are confident with our own capabilities this time around," said Azlan.
Malaysia only have Oman (22nd), Ukraine (24th) and Singapore (36th) for company in Group A. In Group B are Japan (14th), Poland, (18th), Bangladesh (30th) and Mexico (35th).
The top-three teams in Singapore will advance to the World League Semi-finals at either Argentina or Belgium where tickets to the 2016 Rio de Janeiro Olympics await.
Saturday, January 10, 2015
Poles make early claim..
POLAND are dead serious to claim the World League Round Two crown in Singapore on Jan 17-25.
And they have left no stone unturned as before coming to Malaysia on Dec 27, as they played matches in Belgium and Spain and their youthful team did not disappoint manager Tomasz Cichy.
"We want to win the tournament and have been to Belgium and Spain to play matches before heading to Malaysia for acclimatization. We have a team with an average age of 24, and they have been improving steadily.
"Possibly, we will meet Malaysia either in the semi-finals of final, and we are ready for them," said Cichy.
Three teams from the Singapore tournament will advance to the World League Semi-finals in either Belgium or Argentina. The Semi-finals offer three teams from each venue to qualify for the Rio de Janeiro 2016 Olympics.
But fourth or fifth placed teams in both the WL Semi-finals also have a chance to play in Rio, provided teams which have already qualified by winning their continental championships finish among the medallists.
Malaysia, who finished fifth in the WL Semi-finals in Johor Baru, got the chance to play in the Netherlands World Cup on this continental clause.
The stakes in Singapore are high as top seeded Malaysia, ranked 13th in the World, only have Oman (22nd), Ukraine (24th) and Singapore (36th) for company in Group A. Poland, ranked 18th, are in Group B with Japan (14th), Bangladesh (30th) and Mexico (35th).
But Malaysia are well known to crumble when playing lower ranked teams like the 4-2 defeat in the hands of World No 29th ranked Papua New Guinea in the Glasgow Commonwealth Games.
Malaysia played two friendlies against the Poles, and the result was not encouraging as the Poles greased the hosts to a 4-4 draw then a 4-3 win.
However, Malaysia had more than 10 scoring chances in both the matches, and according to goalkeeper S. Kumar: "We should have won by a 10-goal margin if not for poor shooting in the semi-circle, and this is what we can't afford in Singapore."
That, could be coach Tai Beng Hai's biggest challenge when he plots the downfall of minnows in the Group stages.
All eight teams qualify for the quarter-finals, and if Malaysia play to their seeding, they should top Group A and play either Bangladesh or Mexico in the last eight.
In the semi-finals, either Japan or Poland are expected to be the hurdle.
And they have left no stone unturned as before coming to Malaysia on Dec 27, as they played matches in Belgium and Spain and their youthful team did not disappoint manager Tomasz Cichy.
"We want to win the tournament and have been to Belgium and Spain to play matches before heading to Malaysia for acclimatization. We have a team with an average age of 24, and they have been improving steadily.
"Possibly, we will meet Malaysia either in the semi-finals of final, and we are ready for them," said Cichy.
Three teams from the Singapore tournament will advance to the World League Semi-finals in either Belgium or Argentina. The Semi-finals offer three teams from each venue to qualify for the Rio de Janeiro 2016 Olympics.
But fourth or fifth placed teams in both the WL Semi-finals also have a chance to play in Rio, provided teams which have already qualified by winning their continental championships finish among the medallists.
Malaysia, who finished fifth in the WL Semi-finals in Johor Baru, got the chance to play in the Netherlands World Cup on this continental clause.
The stakes in Singapore are high as top seeded Malaysia, ranked 13th in the World, only have Oman (22nd), Ukraine (24th) and Singapore (36th) for company in Group A. Poland, ranked 18th, are in Group B with Japan (14th), Bangladesh (30th) and Mexico (35th).
But Malaysia are well known to crumble when playing lower ranked teams like the 4-2 defeat in the hands of World No 29th ranked Papua New Guinea in the Glasgow Commonwealth Games.
Malaysia played two friendlies against the Poles, and the result was not encouraging as the Poles greased the hosts to a 4-4 draw then a 4-3 win.
However, Malaysia had more than 10 scoring chances in both the matches, and according to goalkeeper S. Kumar: "We should have won by a 10-goal margin if not for poor shooting in the semi-circle, and this is what we can't afford in Singapore."
That, could be coach Tai Beng Hai's biggest challenge when he plots the downfall of minnows in the Group stages.
All eight teams qualify for the quarter-finals, and if Malaysia play to their seeding, they should top Group A and play either Bangladesh or Mexico in the last eight.
In the semi-finals, either Japan or Poland are expected to be the hurdle.
Friday, January 9, 2015
WORLD LEAGUE ROUND TWO
SINGAPORE -- JAN 17-25
GROUP A: Malaysia, Oman, Ukraine, Singapore.
GROUP B: Japan, Poland, Bangladesh, Mexico.
FIXTURES (Malaysian time):
Jan 17: Group A: Malaysia v Ukraine (5.30pm), Oman v Singapore
(8pm); Group B: Japan v Bangladesh (9am), Poland v Mexico (3pm).
Jan 18: Group B: Bangladesh v Mexico (3pm), Poland v Japan (5.30pm).
Jan 19: Group A: Ukraine v Singapore (3pm), Oman v Malaysia
(5.30pm).
Jan 20: Group A: Ukraine v Oman (5.30pm), Malaysia v Singapore
(8pm); Group B: Japan v Mexico (9am), Bangladesh v Poland (3pm).
Jan 21: REST DAY
Jan 22: Quarter-finals
Jan 23: Fifth-Eighth
Jan 24: Semi-finals
Jan 25: Final and placing matches.
SINGAPORE -- JAN 17-25
GROUP A: Malaysia, Oman, Ukraine, Singapore.
GROUP B: Japan, Poland, Bangladesh, Mexico.
FIXTURES (Malaysian time):
Jan 17: Group A: Malaysia v Ukraine (5.30pm), Oman v Singapore
(8pm); Group B: Japan v Bangladesh (9am), Poland v Mexico (3pm).
Jan 18: Group B: Bangladesh v Mexico (3pm), Poland v Japan (5.30pm).
Jan 19: Group A: Ukraine v Singapore (3pm), Oman v Malaysia
(5.30pm).
Jan 20: Group A: Ukraine v Oman (5.30pm), Malaysia v Singapore
(8pm); Group B: Japan v Mexico (9am), Bangladesh v Poland (3pm).
Jan 21: REST DAY
Jan 22: Quarter-finals
Jan 23: Fifth-Eighth
Jan 24: Semi-finals
Jan 25: Final and placing matches.
Baljit back in the fold..
Baljit was left out in the cold last year, as he was dropped from the World Cup as well as the Asian Games and only played in the Commonwealth Games.
The squad, to be led by penalty corner flicker and defender Razie Rahim, have been tasked to finish top-two in Singapore as there teams will get the chance to play in the World League Semi-finals where tickets to the Rio de Janeiro 2016 Olympics await.
"We have selected the best and the target is for the team to enter the final as only three teams will play in the next qualifier either in Argentina or Belgium," said Malaysia Hockey Confederation (MHC) vice-president Datuk Nur Azmi Ahmad.
Beng Hai again reiterated that the tournament will start at the semi-finals stage for his players.
"We should make the semi-finals, where the actual tournament will start as we need to make it into the final and claim the World League Semi-finals ticket early.
"And as the top-ranked team in the tournament, the target is achievable," said Beng Hai.
Malaysia are in Group A with Oman, Ukraine and Singapore while in Group B are Japan, Poland, Bangladesh and Singapore.
All eight teams qualify for the quarter-finals, and Malaysia must finish as group champions to play against likely opponents Bangladesh of Mexico.
Seasoned goalkeeper S. Kumar, who helped Malaysia qualify for the last World Cup by being a pillar in the penalty shoot-out against Japan in the World League Semi-finals, had a word of caution.
"I am ready to help the country qualify for the next round, but my mates and I know that lower ranked teams are no longer push-overs and we need to subdue them in the first two quarters by scoring as many goals as possible.
"If not, they grow in confidence and will be difficult to handle in the next two quarters," said Kumar.
His caution is timely, as Malaysia did take Trinidad and Tobago lightly in the Glasgow Commonwealth Games and suffered a humiliating 4-2 defeat in the hand of the minnows.
Baljit, after being sidelined by previous coaches, has the full backing of Beng Hai.
"I ready to play for the country again, and give my best to take the team to the next level. I missed the World Cup, so my next dream is to play in the Rio Olympics," said Baljit.
Baljit was an unfortunate casualty last year, as after helping Malaysia finish fifth in the World League Semi-finals and qualifying for the World Cup, he was bundled out of the team unceremonially and missed a lifetime chance to play in The Netherlands.
TEAM: Goalkeepers: S. Kumar, Roslan Jamaluddin; Defenders: Azlan Misron, Baljit Singh Charun, Sukri Mutalib, Izad Hakimi, Razie Rahim; Midfielders: Shahrun Nabil, Faiz Helmi, Meor Azuan, Fitri Saari, Marhan Jalil, Nabil Fiqri; Forwards: Tengku Ahmad Tajuddin, Faizal Saari, Izwan Firdaus, Firhan Ashaari, Haziq Samsul.
Thursday, January 8, 2015
Dont blow up rosy road to WL Semis..
NATIONAL chief coach Tai Beng Hai will select his final 18 for the World League Round Two today, with fitness still a nagging problem.
The tournament, in Singapore from Jan 17-25, offers three teams the chance to play in the World League Semi-finals either in Belgium or Argentina, which in turn opens a door to the 2016 Rio de Janeiro Olympics.
Beng Hai's selection is based on performances in the Asian and Commonwealth Games, as well as the Malaysia Hockey League (MHL) and recent Poland friendlies.
"I have been with the team for more than two weeks now, and the biggest hurdle is fitness as the form of many players had dropped after playing for their clubs in the MHL.
"This has been a perennial problem, but the good news is that the MHL was played for four-quarters (same as the World League) and I feel the players I will name, will have no problem finishing among the top-three to claim our spot in the World League Semi-finals," said Beng Hai.
Malaysia are the top-seeds in Singapore, but their run-up has not been too promising as they drew 4-4 and then lost 4-3 to Poland who made a stop-over on their way to Singapore.
"Fitness was one of the reasons why we did not do well against Poland, but I am confident that my players will not disappoint during the tournament.
"My selection is based on players performances in the Asian and Commonwealth Games, as well as leadership shown for their various clubs in the MHL.
"Some players have improved, while some will need a little more pushing before we are ready," said Beng Hai.
With time not on his side, Beng Hai will have to make sure Malaysia emerge tops in Group A as they only have Oman, Ukraine and Singapore to play against.
Singapore were in Group B earlier, but when Fiji withdrew and were replaced by Mexico, the hosts will play Malaysia now.
The format is such that all eight teams play in the quarter-finals, and if Malaysia finish tops in Group A, they will probably be paired with Bangladesh or Mexico in the quarter-finals.
Beng Hai is already looking at the semi-finals: "Going by seeding, we will possibly meet either Japan or Poland in the semi-finals, and that is the game to win and enter the final to claim our World League Semi-finals ticket early."
The road to either Belgium or Argentina looks rosy at the moment for top-seeded Malaysia, but we have lost to the likes of Trinidad and Tobago last year, and this is the banana skin which Beng Hai and his men must avoid at all cost when they play lower ranked sides like Oman and Ukraine in Group A, and either Bangladesh or Mexico in the quarter-finals.
Group A: Malaysia, Oman, Ukraine, Singapore; Group B: Japan, Poland, Bangladesh, Mexico.
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