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Pic: Coach Nasihin Nubli with his angels after they beat Russia 3-0.
THE Malaysian women's hockey team are poised to top Group B of the World League Round Two in New Delhi Tuesday as Singapore have shown disappointing form in the tournament.
And the fact that Malaysia beat Singapore 10-0 enroute to becoming champions in Round One of the World League is also a strong indicator of how the match is going to end.
Malaysia have scored a total of 11 goals in the last two matches, and look primed to meet Ghana in the quarter-finals and should have no problems reaching the semi-finals in New Delhi.
"So far everything is going as planned as we prepare to play Singapore. Even though we have beaten them at their own backyard by a huge margin it does not mean we will take them lightly.
"Our target here (New Delhi) is to play in the final and qualify for the WL Semi-finals for the first time," said Malaysian coach Nasihin Nubli.
And thats why the coach will expect his players to give their best in every match: "We will play Singapore like it is the final of the tournament. This is to make sure my charges do not lose steam heading towards the knock-out. We need to sharpen our penalty corners as well as goal scoring skills and the Singapore match will not be taken lightly."
In Group A, India should emerge as champions after they play Thailand today, and are one of the potential finalists.
TUESDAY: Group A: Ghana v Poland; India v Thailand.
Group B: Malaysia v Singapore; Kazakhstan v Russia.
GROUP A
P W D L F A Pts
India 2 2 0 0 15 0 6
Poland 2 1 0 1 4 3 3
Thailand 2 1 0 1 4 5 3
Ghana 2 0 0 2 1 16 0
GROUP B
P W D L F A Pts
Malaysia 2 2 0 0 11 0 6
Russia 2 1 0 1 7 3 3
Kzkhstan 2 1 0 1 4 8 3
Sgapore 2 0 0 2 0 11 0
LEAGUE champions SSTMI Thunderbolts were merciless when they romped into the semi-finals of the Milo Cup by slaughtering 1Mas Perlis 16-1 in aggregate, and now their focus shifts towards counterparts SSP-MSP-Thunderbolts Wednesday.
On paper, the odds heavily favour SSTMI who are gunning for their fourth-consecutive MHC-Milo-NSC Junior Hockey League double.
But SSP-MSP Thunderbolts have also shown improvement from their league days, as they beat Bukit Jalil Sports School 8-2 on aggregate to advance to the semis.
And for the record, when SSTMI Thunderbolts met SSP-MSP Thunderbolts in the league, SSTMI could only beat them 3-1.
"They (SSTMI) have more seasoned players compared to us and we know what to expect when we go up against them.
"Despite being branded as the underdogs we are ready to put up a fight to earn a spot in the final,” said SSP-MSP assistant coach Madzli Ikmar, a former international.
SSTMI coach Wan Roslan Wan Rahman played down the 3-1 narrow win in the league, as he prepares his side for total domination.
“We took the league clash a little easy as it was our last fixture before the knock-out stage and we did not want to lose any players through suspension or injury for the Milo Cup.
“At this stage I'm sure my players would be able to keep their guards up and remain focused. We may come from the same family but I can assure you that it will be a fiercely contested affair in the two-leg semis,” said Wan Roslan.
The second semis will see last season's Milo Cup runners-up UniKL Young Guns up against Petaling Jaya City Council. PJCC and UniKL played to a 1-1 draw in the League.
WEDNESDAY: Semi-finals first leg: SSTMI Thunderbolts v SSP-MSP Thunderbolts (National Stadium I, 5.30pm); Petaling Jaya City Council v UniKL Young Guns (National Stadium II, 5.30pm).
