MALAYSIA beat world No 6 New Zealand 3-2 in the penalty shoot-out after a nail-biting 70 minutes which saw eight goals flying in the quarter-finals of the Champions Challenge I at the Kuantan Stadium yesterday.
It was May-Day celebrations which almost turned into a Mayday distress signal when coach K. Dharmaraj's men played dramatic hockey as after being 0-1 down by the third minute, they took a 4-1 lead before collapsing and ending up with a 4-4 draw in regulation time.
The hard fought win will now see world No 13 Malaysia play No 16 Canada in the semi-finals tomorrow. Canada beat Poland 3-2 in the other quarter-finals. For the record Malaysia beat Canada 4-3 in Group B.
"It was a heart-stopping match because we let in three goals after taking a big lead and my personal feeling was one of agony as I had suffered disappointment in penalty shoot out when we lost to France in the Junior World Cup semi-finals.
"And it was a Oh No! feeling when the shoot out was being taken as we were down 2-0 but eventually won 3-2 with great saves from the goalkeeper (S. Kumar)," said Dharmaraj.
New Zealand coach Colin Batch was obviously disapointed: "Malaysia were on an upward trend after beating Canada (Tuesday) and were obviously at their best today (yesterday). We let in early goals, but there was a great comeback only to lose out in the penalties.
Steve Edwars tapped in from close range to give the Kiwis an early fourth minute lead, but a super fight-back saw skipper Azlan Misron leading by example to score in the 20th minute while three more were from the efforts of Shahril Saabah (23rd, 31st) and Fitri Saari (24th).
New Zealand clawed back with a hat-trick of penalty corners from Andy Hayward in the 45th, 60th and 70th minutes.
In the penalty shoot-out, Faiz Jali and Faizal Saari missed and the Kiwis were leading 2-0 at that point before S. Kumar brought out three saves while Firhan Ashaari, Shahril Saabah and Fitri Saari were on target to hand Malaysia the hard-fought win.
"We did train for the penalty shooot-out as we know that playing the tournament favourites was never going to be easy and we wanted to be prepared for any eventually.
"We watched how the Kiwis handled penalty shoot out in previous matches and it paid of as now we are one step closer to our target of playing in the final," said Dharmaraj.
Malaysian Hockey Confederation (MHC president Tengku Abdullah Sultan Ahmad Shah watched the match and said: "They should have won in regulation time when leading 4-1, but never mind, as I'm proud of their fighting spirit and they never gave up."
Sunday, May 4, 2014
Wednesday, April 30, 2014
No advantage for Malaysia..
MALAYSIA picked the toughest route in the Champions Challenge 1 when they were paired with New Zealand in the quarter-finals in Kuantan today.
The Kiwis, who have also qualified for the World Cup at the Hague, are the highest ranked team here at number six in the world, while Malaysia are at a struggling 13th. The other team which has qualified for the World Cup and are in Kuantan are South Korea at world number seven.
And if Malaysia believe that playing at 2.45pm in sweltering Kuantan heat, and dry sea breeze, is going to help their cause they might be proven wrong as the Kiwis have played two earlier matches at 3pm and beat Ireland 2-1 and hammered Japan 6-1.
The Kiwis also have an advantage of having played four quarters of 17.5 minutes when playing at 3pm, while Malaysia who played at 9pm all their matches used the 35 minutes two halves format.
"We will be playing the four quarters format for the first time in Kuantan, but we did experiment with it when we played China in a series of friendlies before coming here," said Malaysian coach K. Dharmaraj.
Dharmaraj agreed that they pulled the short straw and it will be an uphill battle but not an impossible one.
"Every team in Group B played to avoid the Kiwis, but two bad matches saw us end up with the world no six. However, they are not Australia, Netherlands and Germany who are out of our league.
"With the right strategy and frame of mind of my players, we have an equal chance of beating them and then the route would become much more comfortable in the semis," said Dharmaraj.
Losing to France 3-2 and South Korea 3-1 was somehow made up with the splendid display in the 4-3 win against Canada.
"There was overall improvement against Canada and we were just plain unlucky as a penalty corner attempt hit the post, and also missed many sitters.
"But there is improvement in the team, and that's what matters most leading into the New Zealand encounter," said Dharmaraj.
Skipper Azlan Misron was also optimistic: "We have played New Zealand many times and know that they are a strong and hard working side, but I will rally my men to collect three points as we want to advance further and get a shot at playing in the Champions Trophy," said Azlan.
New Zealand coach Colin Batch said: " We will be playing for the third time in the heat (3pm match) and if the previous encounters are anything to go by, it does not affect our performance much. However, Malaysia are in an upward trend as seen in the match against Canada and I believe it will be a tough quarters encounter for us.
"Malaysia are also a World Cup side, even though in a different group with us, it would be an interesting match as both sides prepare for the Hague."
As for Kiwi skipper Dean Couzins: "I watched Malaysia play against Canada for 25 minutes as after that we had to warm-down and do some conditioning. And I must say they have improved as compared to their last two matches and it will be a fast match where we hope to press early and get the goals.
"I love the way the crowd cheers every time when Malaysia move up to attack, but it also works for us as well, as we like the atmosphere and makes us enjoy the game."
The Kiwis, who have also qualified for the World Cup at the Hague, are the highest ranked team here at number six in the world, while Malaysia are at a struggling 13th. The other team which has qualified for the World Cup and are in Kuantan are South Korea at world number seven.
And if Malaysia believe that playing at 2.45pm in sweltering Kuantan heat, and dry sea breeze, is going to help their cause they might be proven wrong as the Kiwis have played two earlier matches at 3pm and beat Ireland 2-1 and hammered Japan 6-1.
The Kiwis also have an advantage of having played four quarters of 17.5 minutes when playing at 3pm, while Malaysia who played at 9pm all their matches used the 35 minutes two halves format.
"We will be playing the four quarters format for the first time in Kuantan, but we did experiment with it when we played China in a series of friendlies before coming here," said Malaysian coach K. Dharmaraj.
Dharmaraj agreed that they pulled the short straw and it will be an uphill battle but not an impossible one.
"Every team in Group B played to avoid the Kiwis, but two bad matches saw us end up with the world no six. However, they are not Australia, Netherlands and Germany who are out of our league.
"With the right strategy and frame of mind of my players, we have an equal chance of beating them and then the route would become much more comfortable in the semis," said Dharmaraj.
Losing to France 3-2 and South Korea 3-1 was somehow made up with the splendid display in the 4-3 win against Canada.
"There was overall improvement against Canada and we were just plain unlucky as a penalty corner attempt hit the post, and also missed many sitters.
"But there is improvement in the team, and that's what matters most leading into the New Zealand encounter," said Dharmaraj.
Skipper Azlan Misron was also optimistic: "We have played New Zealand many times and know that they are a strong and hard working side, but I will rally my men to collect three points as we want to advance further and get a shot at playing in the Champions Trophy," said Azlan.
New Zealand coach Colin Batch said: " We will be playing for the third time in the heat (3pm match) and if the previous encounters are anything to go by, it does not affect our performance much. However, Malaysia are in an upward trend as seen in the match against Canada and I believe it will be a tough quarters encounter for us.
"Malaysia are also a World Cup side, even though in a different group with us, it would be an interesting match as both sides prepare for the Hague."
As for Kiwi skipper Dean Couzins: "I watched Malaysia play against Canada for 25 minutes as after that we had to warm-down and do some conditioning. And I must say they have improved as compared to their last two matches and it will be a fast match where we hope to press early and get the goals.
"I love the way the crowd cheers every time when Malaysia move up to attack, but it also works for us as well, as we like the atmosphere and makes us enjoy the game."
Tuesday, April 29, 2014
Malaysia-New Zealand quarter-finals
MALAYSIA won their first match when they beat Canada 4-3, but still ended last in Group B and will meet tournament favourites New Zealand in the quarter-finals of the Champions Challenge 1 in Kuantan tomorrow.
Malaysia needed three clear goals to avoid the Kiwis in the cross-over, and they started attacking Canada from the first whistle, but were instead hit by the Canadians.
The clock only showed three minutes when Canada won their first penalty corner, which was turned into a penalty stroke when the ball hit a defender's leg.
Canadian skipper Scott Tupper stepped up and beat goalkeeper S. Kumar from the spot in the fourth minute.
The fans went silent, but only for a minute as a full charge in the fifth minute saw Tengku Ahmad Tajuddin slamming the ball to the roof of the Canadian goalmouth for the equaliser.
Shahril Saabah provided the spark when he gave Malaysia the lead off their first penalty corner in the 19th minute with a powerful drive which looked like it was going to tear the netting apart.
But the Canadians refuse to be broken and in the 30th minute, Gabriel Ho-Garcia slapped home the equaliser when there was momentary confusion among the Malaysian defenders, and the 2-2 score stood until the hooter.
Shahril delivered again off a penalty corner attempt in the 40th minute, but Tupper again scored off a penalty stroke in the 54th minute to make it 3-3.
Tengku Ahmad Tajuddin then makes it 4-3 with a reverse stick drive in the 55th minute.
FINAL STANDINGS
GROUP A
P W D L F A PTS
N ZEALAND 3 3 0 0 16 5 9
IRELAND 3 1 0 2 3 4 3
POLAND 3 1 0 2 7 12 3
JAPAN 3 1 0 2 4 9 3
GROUP B
P W D L F A PTS
S KOREA 3 2 1 0 9 6 7
CANADA 3 1 1 1 9 9 4
FRANCE 3 1 0 2 7 8 3
MALAYSIA 3 1 0 2 7 9 3
RESULTS -- Group A: Ireland 1 Japan 0, New Zealand 8 Poland 3.
Group B: South Korea 3 France 2, Canada 3 Malaysia 4.
TODAY -- REST DAY.
MAY 1: Quarter-finals -- New Zealand v Malaysia (2.45pm); Canada v Poland (5pm); Ireland v France (7.15pm); South Korea v Japan (9.30pm).
Malaysia needed three clear goals to avoid the Kiwis in the cross-over, and they started attacking Canada from the first whistle, but were instead hit by the Canadians.
The clock only showed three minutes when Canada won their first penalty corner, which was turned into a penalty stroke when the ball hit a defender's leg.
Canadian skipper Scott Tupper stepped up and beat goalkeeper S. Kumar from the spot in the fourth minute.
The fans went silent, but only for a minute as a full charge in the fifth minute saw Tengku Ahmad Tajuddin slamming the ball to the roof of the Canadian goalmouth for the equaliser.
Shahril Saabah provided the spark when he gave Malaysia the lead off their first penalty corner in the 19th minute with a powerful drive which looked like it was going to tear the netting apart.
But the Canadians refuse to be broken and in the 30th minute, Gabriel Ho-Garcia slapped home the equaliser when there was momentary confusion among the Malaysian defenders, and the 2-2 score stood until the hooter.
Shahril delivered again off a penalty corner attempt in the 40th minute, but Tupper again scored off a penalty stroke in the 54th minute to make it 3-3.
Tengku Ahmad Tajuddin then makes it 4-3 with a reverse stick drive in the 55th minute.
FINAL STANDINGS
GROUP A
P W D L F A PTS
N ZEALAND 3 3 0 0 16 5 9
IRELAND 3 1 0 2 3 4 3
POLAND 3 1 0 2 7 12 3
JAPAN 3 1 0 2 4 9 3
GROUP B
P W D L F A PTS
S KOREA 3 2 1 0 9 6 7
CANADA 3 1 1 1 9 9 4
FRANCE 3 1 0 2 7 8 3
MALAYSIA 3 1 0 2 7 9 3
RESULTS -- Group A: Ireland 1 Japan 0, New Zealand 8 Poland 3.
Group B: South Korea 3 France 2, Canada 3 Malaysia 4.
TODAY -- REST DAY.
MAY 1: Quarter-finals -- New Zealand v Malaysia (2.45pm); Canada v Poland (5pm); Ireland v France (7.15pm); South Korea v Japan (9.30pm).
Coach shoots down rumours...
NATIONAL chief coach K. Dharmaraj yesterday dispelled rumours that his players are playing badly in the Champions Challenge I in Kuantan because there is disunity caused by favouritism on his selection of the squad.
Malaysia lost 3-2 to France and then 3-1 to South Korea and will play Canada today, where a defeat will see them play tournament favourites New Zealand in the quarter-finals.
"The agree the team has not been playing up to mark, and I have also heard from many people that the cause might be due to the selection of many Junior World Cup players (eight) and that I have favoured certain players over others who were dropped.
"But there is no truth in it because I have selected the best available and I am trying out new positions for several players and that is why the team looks disjointed and not settled down after two matches.
"I was also a player once, and I will never bring favouritism into selecting players as I know it causes pain to those who are not selected," said Dharmaraj.
He also agreed that the midfield and defense is in disarray.
"With regular defender Razie (Rahim) still nursing an injury and several former key players not selected because others have overtaken them, there is bound to be some miscommunication among the players. But it is not because they are not happy with my selection process."
Midfielder-defender Shahrun Nabil and defender Baljit Singh were some of the players left out, and replaced with German-born Kevin Lim and a host of juniors.
"We also tried some things that normally we don’t do. Playing Faiz Helmi in midfield instead as a sweeper and Kevin Lim at the back were choices I had to make given the situation we are in. If we had Razie (Rahim) I could have pushed Faiz up in midfield. This (against Canada) is the only chance we have of trying out players in the group stage before moving on to the quarterfinals.”
“I am looking at sticking to our earlier game plan and positions. We have a problem at the back (defence) and are not settled yet. I have to see what the best line-up is as the matches go,” he lamented.
Malaysia's hoped hinge on the France-South Korea match at 3pm, because if the French win, Malaysia will end at the bottom of Group B and the chances are high that they will meet tournament favourites New Zealand in the quarter-finals.
But if South Korea beat France and Malaysia beat Canada, Dharmaraj's side will not only avoid New Zealand in the quarters, but also the semis if they go that far in the tournament.
“We also tried some things that normally we don’t do. Playing Faiz Helmi in midfield instead as a sweeper and Kevin Lim at the back were choices I had to make given the situation we are in. If we had Razie (Rahim) I could have pushed Faiz up in midfield. This is the only chance we have of trying out players in the group stage before moving on to the quarterfinals.”
For the record, Malaysia defeated Canada 3-0 in the Azlan Shah Cup in Ipoh in March.
STANDINGS
GROUP A
P W D L F A PTS
N ZEALAND 2 2 0 0 8 2 6
POLAND 2 1 0 1 4 4 3
JAPAN 2 1 0 1 4 8 3
IRELAND 2 0 0 2 2 4 0
GROUP B
P W D L F A PTS
CANADA 2 1 1 0 6 5 4
S KOREA 2 1 1 0 6 4 4
FRANCE 2 1 0 1 5 5 3
MALAYSIA 2 0 0 2 3 6 0
April 28: REST DAY.
April 29: Group A: Ireland v Japan (5pm), New Zealand v Poland (7pm).
Group B: South Korea v France (3pm), Canada v Malaysia (9pm).
Malaysia lost 3-2 to France and then 3-1 to South Korea and will play Canada today, where a defeat will see them play tournament favourites New Zealand in the quarter-finals.
"The agree the team has not been playing up to mark, and I have also heard from many people that the cause might be due to the selection of many Junior World Cup players (eight) and that I have favoured certain players over others who were dropped.
"But there is no truth in it because I have selected the best available and I am trying out new positions for several players and that is why the team looks disjointed and not settled down after two matches.
"I was also a player once, and I will never bring favouritism into selecting players as I know it causes pain to those who are not selected," said Dharmaraj.
He also agreed that the midfield and defense is in disarray.
"With regular defender Razie (Rahim) still nursing an injury and several former key players not selected because others have overtaken them, there is bound to be some miscommunication among the players. But it is not because they are not happy with my selection process."
Midfielder-defender Shahrun Nabil and defender Baljit Singh were some of the players left out, and replaced with German-born Kevin Lim and a host of juniors.
"We also tried some things that normally we don’t do. Playing Faiz Helmi in midfield instead as a sweeper and Kevin Lim at the back were choices I had to make given the situation we are in. If we had Razie (Rahim) I could have pushed Faiz up in midfield. This (against Canada) is the only chance we have of trying out players in the group stage before moving on to the quarterfinals.”
“I am looking at sticking to our earlier game plan and positions. We have a problem at the back (defence) and are not settled yet. I have to see what the best line-up is as the matches go,” he lamented.
Malaysia's hoped hinge on the France-South Korea match at 3pm, because if the French win, Malaysia will end at the bottom of Group B and the chances are high that they will meet tournament favourites New Zealand in the quarter-finals.
But if South Korea beat France and Malaysia beat Canada, Dharmaraj's side will not only avoid New Zealand in the quarters, but also the semis if they go that far in the tournament.
“We also tried some things that normally we don’t do. Playing Faiz Helmi in midfield instead as a sweeper and Kevin Lim at the back were choices I had to make given the situation we are in. If we had Razie (Rahim) I could have pushed Faiz up in midfield. This is the only chance we have of trying out players in the group stage before moving on to the quarterfinals.”
For the record, Malaysia defeated Canada 3-0 in the Azlan Shah Cup in Ipoh in March.
STANDINGS
GROUP A
P W D L F A PTS
N ZEALAND 2 2 0 0 8 2 6
POLAND 2 1 0 1 4 4 3
JAPAN 2 1 0 1 4 8 3
IRELAND 2 0 0 2 2 4 0
GROUP B
P W D L F A PTS
CANADA 2 1 1 0 6 5 4
S KOREA 2 1 1 0 6 4 4
FRANCE 2 1 0 1 5 5 3
MALAYSIA 2 0 0 2 3 6 0
April 28: REST DAY.
April 29: Group A: Ireland v Japan (5pm), New Zealand v Poland (7pm).
Group B: South Korea v France (3pm), Canada v Malaysia (9pm).
Sunday, April 27, 2014
Malaysia might draw Kiwis in q-finals..
MALAYSIA were soundly beaten 3-1 by South Korea in Group B of the Champions Challenge I in Kuantan, Pahang yesterday.
After a break today, they play Canada next and it will not be an easy match as yesterday, the Canadians beat France 3-2. For the record, Malaysia had lost to France on Friday by the same margin.
However, the tournament format will see all eight teams from Group A and Group B play in the quarter-finals, and Malaysia might just draw the short straw and play against raging favourites New Zealand in the cross-over if they end at the bottom of the pool.
Coach K. Dharmaraj's men went looking for an early lead but found the going tough as the forward-line lacked direction in the first 10 minutes of the match.
However, 12 minutes into the match Malaysian won their first penalty corner and Ahmad Kazamirul sailed it over the top of the bar.
The Koreans soaked in the pressure and relied on counters, and finally won their first penalty corner in the 18th minute and Nam Hyun Woo made it count with a low push to the board for the lead.
Malaysia had two more penalty corners to draw level, but Shahril Saabah's mammoth drive hit the post and came rocketing out in the 21st, while Kazamirul's attempt in the 32nd minute was saved by goalkeeper Lee Myung Ho.
Two minutes into the re-start, You Hyo Sik made it 2-0 with a reverse stick drive which went between the legs of goalkeeper S. Kumar.
And by the 50th minute, Korea completed the rout with another penalty corner goal from Jang Jong Hyun. Ismail Abu scored the consolation in the 67th minute for Malaysia.
STANDINGS
GROUP A
P W D L F A PTS
N ZEALAND 2 2 0 0 8 2 6
POLAND 2 1 0 1 4 4 3
JAPAN 2 1 0 1 4 8 3
IRELAND 2 0 0 2 2 4 0
GROUP B
P W D L F A PTS
CANADA 2 1 1 0 6 5 4
S KOREA 2 1 1 0 6 4 4
FRANCE 2 1 0 1 5 5 3
MALAYSIA 2 0 0 2 3 6 0
RESULTS -- Group A: Japan 1 New Zealand 6, Ireland 1 Poland 2.
Group B: Canada 3 France 2, Malaysia 1 South Korea 3.
April 28: REST DAY.
April 29: Group A: Ireland v Japan (5pm), New Zealand v Poland (7pm).
Group B: South Korea v France (3pm), Canada v Malaysia (9pm).
After a break today, they play Canada next and it will not be an easy match as yesterday, the Canadians beat France 3-2. For the record, Malaysia had lost to France on Friday by the same margin.
However, the tournament format will see all eight teams from Group A and Group B play in the quarter-finals, and Malaysia might just draw the short straw and play against raging favourites New Zealand in the cross-over if they end at the bottom of the pool.
Coach K. Dharmaraj's men went looking for an early lead but found the going tough as the forward-line lacked direction in the first 10 minutes of the match.
However, 12 minutes into the match Malaysian won their first penalty corner and Ahmad Kazamirul sailed it over the top of the bar.
The Koreans soaked in the pressure and relied on counters, and finally won their first penalty corner in the 18th minute and Nam Hyun Woo made it count with a low push to the board for the lead.
Malaysia had two more penalty corners to draw level, but Shahril Saabah's mammoth drive hit the post and came rocketing out in the 21st, while Kazamirul's attempt in the 32nd minute was saved by goalkeeper Lee Myung Ho.
Two minutes into the re-start, You Hyo Sik made it 2-0 with a reverse stick drive which went between the legs of goalkeeper S. Kumar.
And by the 50th minute, Korea completed the rout with another penalty corner goal from Jang Jong Hyun. Ismail Abu scored the consolation in the 67th minute for Malaysia.
STANDINGS
GROUP A
P W D L F A PTS
N ZEALAND 2 2 0 0 8 2 6
POLAND 2 1 0 1 4 4 3
JAPAN 2 1 0 1 4 8 3
IRELAND 2 0 0 2 2 4 0
GROUP B
P W D L F A PTS
CANADA 2 1 1 0 6 5 4
S KOREA 2 1 1 0 6 4 4
FRANCE 2 1 0 1 5 5 3
MALAYSIA 2 0 0 2 3 6 0
RESULTS -- Group A: Japan 1 New Zealand 6, Ireland 1 Poland 2.
Group B: Canada 3 France 2, Malaysia 1 South Korea 3.
April 28: REST DAY.
April 29: Group A: Ireland v Japan (5pm), New Zealand v Poland (7pm).
Group B: South Korea v France (3pm), Canada v Malaysia (9pm).
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