DEFENDING champions Perak checked into the Division One semi-finals of the 53rd Razak Cup when they beat Terengganu 4-2 at the National Hockey Stadium in Bukit Jalil Thursday.
Perak will play Kuala Lumpur in the last four, while the other semi-finals will be between Johor and Malacca.
Malacca ended second in Group A when they hammered Penang 6-3, while Johor topped Group B and KL were second. Both had seven points, but Johor topped with a better goal difference.
The Silver State coach K.Yogeswaran was elated with the victory, as now they have a chance of defending their title for the third consecutive year.
"This was the initial target, to win all Group A matches and enter the semis on a confident note. It was not easy againt Terengganu as they had a pool of quality players but we managed to stop their attacks.
"We are looking foward to the semis, and hopefully continue our run in the knock-out stage as well," said Yogeswaran.
Azril Misron was instrumental in beating Terengganu as he scord two goals in the 20th and 36th minutes. The other Perak goals were scored by Fitri Ismail (7th) and Ashran Hamsani (27th).
Meanwhile, the Malaysian Hockey Confederation (MHC) coaching committee will hold a meeting on Saturday to decide on the future and placements of the seniors and juniors men's and women's coaches.
And on 12 Dec, the MHC Disciplinary Board will meet to decide on the fate of national player Faizal Shaari who went AWOL from training with no concrete excuse. Faizal is currently playing for Terengganu in the Razak Cup.
RESULTS: Division One: Group A: Malacca 6 Penang 3, Perak 4 Terengganu 2; Group B: Pahang 3 Kuala Lumpur 4, Negri 2 Johor 3.
FRIDAY: Division One: Fifth-Eighth: Terengganu v Negri (Pitch I, 6pm), Penang v Pahang (Pitch II, 6pm).
Division Two: Kedah v Sarawak (Pitch I, 7.30am), Perlis v Armed Forces (Pitch II, 7.30am), Kelantan v Selangor (Pitch I, 9.30am).
SATURDAY: Division One Semi-finals: Perak v Kuala Lumpur (Pitch II, 5.45pm), Johor v Malacca (Pitch II, 8.30pm).
Note: All matches at the National Hockey Stadium in Bukit Jalil.
