RESULTS: Semi-finals (Second Leg):
Kuala Lumpur Hockey Club 2 Sapura 1.
(KLHC win 8-1 on aggregate)
Maybank 2 Terengganu Hockey Team 7.
(THT win 10-7 on aggregate)
TERENGGANU Hockey Team (THT) showed their pedigree yesterday when they came back from a two-goal deficit to beat Maybank 10-7 on aggregate in the Second Leg Semi-finals of the TNB Cup at the National Hockey Stadium in Bukit Jalil.
THT advanced to the final on Sunday, by hammering Maybank 7-2, and they will face Kuala Lumpur Hockey Club (KLHC) for the Overall title.
League champions THT started with three goals in the first 15 minutes, and nailed Maybank with precision marking and scoring.
THT's goals were scored by Tengku Ahmad Tajuddin (second, eighth), Jose Leandro Tolini (ninth), Faizal Saari (33rd, 51st), Firhan Ashaari (45th) and Nicolas Cicileo (49th),
Pakistan's Muhammad Toseeq (39th) and India's B. Deepanshu (59th) scored for Maybank.
In the other semi-finals, KLHC took a walk in the park but still beat Sapura 2-1 for an 8-1 aggregate win.
Mumammad Imran (ninth) was the solitary scorer for Sapura in both the legs, while Razie Rahim (29th) and Ali Shan (52nd) got the winner for KLHC.
"I believe my players lost out to fatigue because we played three matches in five days and were hit 1-6 (in the first leg semis), and this is not the national team, for them to sustain the pace," said Sapura coach Tai Beng Hai.
KLHC coach K. Dharmaraj is no stranger to playing in the final, as in his 17 years in the Malaysia Hockey League he has coached in 15 finals.
And he took his side to the top in five finals, and lost nine.
"I have been coaching the same side (with three name changes) for the past 17 years and I know there are no favourites in a final. Any team that seizes the day, will life the trophy," said Dharmaraj.
He started with Arthur Anderson which evolved into Ernst & Young, and is now KLHC.
Dharmaraj has no favourites to join him on Sunday: "It is not the opposition that counts, is how my players perform on Sunday which will determine the club's fate."
SUNDAY: Final -- Kuala Lumpur Hockey Club v Terengganu Hockey Team (8pm, Pitch II); Third-Fourth: Maybank v Sapura (6pm, Pitch II).
Note: Both matches at the National Hockey Stadium in Bukit Jalil.