MALAYSIA are just a step away from achieving their target, as only India stand in their path to play in the final of the Sultan of Johor Cup.
Coach K. Dharmaraj’s charges have seven points after four matches, while India and South Korea have six each, so a win will see them play against Australia in the final at the Taman Daya Stadium on Saturday.
South Korea play New Zealand in the earlier match, and if they win, and the Malaysia-India match ends in a draw, the Koreans will sail into the gold medal match.
“We will play to win and do what is needed. There is no point depending on the results of others as it makes one forget the task at hand. We will remained focused at getting a favourable result and take it from there,” said Dharmaraj.
Malaysia started on a bad patch when they lost 2-1 to Australia, but the 1-1 draw against New Zealand is keeping their hopes alive.
The Project 2013 players then beat South Korea 4-2 and Pakistan 2-1, and will be looking to nail another Asian team today.
The Project 2013 squad is being prepared for the Malacca Junior Asia Cup, which is a qualifier for the Junior World Cup, and beating all three Asian teams in Johor will be a boost for them.
Also, they are playing in the Sultan of Johor Cup without two of their best strikers, Faizal Saari, the top scorer in the Malaysia Hockey League with 19 goals, and Firhan Ashaari.
Both the players are in training with the senior team right now in preparation for the Champions Challenge I in South Africa on Nov 26-Dec 4,
India have been erratic in this tournament they bungled big time in their opening match against South Korea where they took a 4-0 lead but went on to lose 6-4.
The Indians then lost 3-2 to Australia, but beat Pakistan 5-1 and New Zealand 2-1 to put the pressure on the hosts.
TODAY: Australia v Pakistan (4pm), New Zealand v South Korea (6pm), India v Malaysia (8pm).
P W D L F A Pts
AUSTRALIA 4 4 0 0 17 7 12
MALAYSIA 4 2 1 1 8 6 7
INDIA 4 2 0 2 13 11 6
S KOREA 4 2 0 2 13 15 6
N ZEALAND 4 1 1 2 4 9 4
PAKISTAN 4 0 0 4 3 10 0
Thursday, November 10, 2011
Wednesday, November 9, 2011
Two down, India to go..
MALAYSIA beat Pakistan 2-1 to keep the flame burning in the Sultan of Johor Cup at the Taman Daya Stadium in Johor Baru yesterday.
And now they must beat India on Friday to play against Australia in the final. India made a late surge when they beat New Zealand 2-1 in an earlier match.
Malaysia played a cautious opening game, and were contended in soaking in the pressure from Pakistan.
There was no full press like the three earlier matches, but it was on the right flank that Malaysia looked dangerous when they opted to attack with Amir Farid and Syamim Yusof and Ahmad Fuzi clicking well.
And the breakthrough came in the 13th minute when Fitri Saari played a free hit, at the edge of the semi circle, straight into a Pakistani defender's legs, and the umpire awarded a penalty corner to Malaysia.
Skipper Noor Faeez Ibrahim then sent a drag flick into the roof of the Pakistani net and the scores tood until half-time.
The script was the same in the second half, and urged on by the vrowd, Malaysia finally broke free for the second time when Amir Farid scored in the 51st minute.
But Pakistan pulled one back in the 59th minute when Muhammad Umer scored a field attempt, but Malaysia held on to keep their hopes of reaching the final alive.
In the first match of the day, under a blazing sun, Australia booked their spot in the final with one match to spare when they came back from the dead to beat South Korea 6-3.
The nine-goal thriller was almost marred by a walkover, as Australia foughback from being 0-2 and 1-3 down at one stage, before taking the lead for the first time in the 53rd minute.
Australia went ahead 4-3 when Dylan Wotherspoon scored in the 53rd, and after that all hell broke loose.
The Koreans were upset with the decision of umpire Michael Eilmer of Austria in awarding a penalty corner against them and walked off in a huff. Only intervention by coach Song Seung Tae saved the day as they walked back only to find themselves in more trouble.
Korean keeper Lee Se Young was yellow carded for bringing down Aussie striker Josh Walters and Australia were awarded a penalty stroke in the 55th minute which William Shaw duly converted to make the score 5-3 and it was game over for the Koreans.
RESULTS: South Korea 3 Australia 6, India 2 New Zealand 1, Pakistan 1 Malaysia 2.
FRIDAY: Australia v Pakistan (4pm), New Zealand v South Korea (6pm), India v Malaysia (8pm).
P W D L F A Pts
AUSTRALIA 4 4 0 0 17 7 12
MALAYSIA 4 2 1 1 8 6 7
INDIA 4 2 0 2 13 11 6
S KOREA 4 2 0 2 13 15 6
N ZEALAND 4 1 1 2 4 9 4
PAKISTAN 4 0 0 4 3 10 0
And now they must beat India on Friday to play against Australia in the final. India made a late surge when they beat New Zealand 2-1 in an earlier match.
Malaysia played a cautious opening game, and were contended in soaking in the pressure from Pakistan.
There was no full press like the three earlier matches, but it was on the right flank that Malaysia looked dangerous when they opted to attack with Amir Farid and Syamim Yusof and Ahmad Fuzi clicking well.
And the breakthrough came in the 13th minute when Fitri Saari played a free hit, at the edge of the semi circle, straight into a Pakistani defender's legs, and the umpire awarded a penalty corner to Malaysia.
Skipper Noor Faeez Ibrahim then sent a drag flick into the roof of the Pakistani net and the scores tood until half-time.
The script was the same in the second half, and urged on by the vrowd, Malaysia finally broke free for the second time when Amir Farid scored in the 51st minute.
But Pakistan pulled one back in the 59th minute when Muhammad Umer scored a field attempt, but Malaysia held on to keep their hopes of reaching the final alive.
In the first match of the day, under a blazing sun, Australia booked their spot in the final with one match to spare when they came back from the dead to beat South Korea 6-3.
The nine-goal thriller was almost marred by a walkover, as Australia foughback from being 0-2 and 1-3 down at one stage, before taking the lead for the first time in the 53rd minute.
Australia went ahead 4-3 when Dylan Wotherspoon scored in the 53rd, and after that all hell broke loose.
The Koreans were upset with the decision of umpire Michael Eilmer of Austria in awarding a penalty corner against them and walked off in a huff. Only intervention by coach Song Seung Tae saved the day as they walked back only to find themselves in more trouble.
Korean keeper Lee Se Young was yellow carded for bringing down Aussie striker Josh Walters and Australia were awarded a penalty stroke in the 55th minute which William Shaw duly converted to make the score 5-3 and it was game over for the Koreans.
RESULTS: South Korea 3 Australia 6, India 2 New Zealand 1, Pakistan 1 Malaysia 2.
FRIDAY: Australia v Pakistan (4pm), New Zealand v South Korea (6pm), India v Malaysia (8pm).
P W D L F A Pts
AUSTRALIA 4 4 0 0 17 7 12
MALAYSIA 4 2 1 1 8 6 7
INDIA 4 2 0 2 13 11 6
S KOREA 4 2 0 2 13 15 6
N ZEALAND 4 1 1 2 4 9 4
PAKISTAN 4 0 0 4 3 10 0
Tuesday, November 8, 2011
Korea down, two more to go..
MALAYSIA finally played top-flight hockey to beat South Korea 4-2 in the Sultan of Johor Cup at the Taman Daya Stadium yesterday.
After losing 2-1 to Australia and pulling off a 1-1 draw against New Zealand, Malaysia nailed three points to keep their hopes of playing in the final alive.
Even there absence of regular goalkeeper Hafizuddin Othman, hospitalised for a kidney ailment, failed to stop a determined Malaysian side.
"Hafizuddin was diagnosed with water in his kidneys, and is out of the tournament but his replacement Hazrul (Faiz) did well against the Koreans. Tomorrow (today) we have another big match against Pakistan and recovery could play a pivotal role in that encounter," said Malaysian coach K. Dharmaraj.
And the fans did not have to wait for long, as Noor Faeez Ibrahim nailed the lead off the first penalty corner itself in the third minute.
After that, the forwardline of Fitri Saari, Syamim Yusof and Amir Farid all came close to increasing the scoreline, but missed their chances.
The Koreans drew level in the 28th minute when regular penalty corner flicker Yang Ji Hun played the ball to You Seung Ju who tucked it past Hazrul.
But the young Malaysians kept up the pressure and in the very next minute, re-gained the lead off Syamim Yusof who put the finishing touches to a darting run on the left by Ramadan Rosli.
After the breather, Korea were the moire aggressive side and forced penalty corners in the 37th and 39th minutes, but on both occasions Malaysian keeper Faiz stood tall.
And in the 40th minute, against the run of play, Malaysia added a third when Korean keeper Lee Se Young made a mess of a save and Syamim got his brace.
Korea drew closer when Seung Ju scored in the 43rd minute to make the score 2-3.
But Nor Hizzat Sumantri doused the fight-back in the 67th minute for a well deserved win.
Australia remained the only unbeaten team when they whipped New Zealand 6-1 for their third win in as many matches. The Aussies started slowly by beating Malaysia 2-1 and India 3-2 in the earlier matches.
A hat-trick by Flynn Ogilive and a brace by Jack Wallace and the sixth by Josh Walters gave the them a comfortable win and top spot on the standings.
TUESDAY: New Zealand 1 Australia 6, Malaysia 4 South Korea 2, Pakistan 1 India 5.
WEDNESDAY: South Korea v Australia (4pm), India v New Zealand (6pm), Pakistan v Malaysia (8pm).
FRIDAY: Australia v Pakistan (4pm), New Zealand v South Korea (6pm), India v Malaysia (8pm).
P W D L F A Pts
AUSTRALIA 3 3 0 0 11 4 9
S KOREA 3 2 0 1 10 9 6
N ZEALAND 3 1 1 1 3 7 4
MALAYSIA 3 1 1 1 6 5 4
INDIA 3 1 0 2 11 10 3
PAKISTAN 3 0 0 3 2 8 0
After losing 2-1 to Australia and pulling off a 1-1 draw against New Zealand, Malaysia nailed three points to keep their hopes of playing in the final alive.
Even there absence of regular goalkeeper Hafizuddin Othman, hospitalised for a kidney ailment, failed to stop a determined Malaysian side.
"Hafizuddin was diagnosed with water in his kidneys, and is out of the tournament but his replacement Hazrul (Faiz) did well against the Koreans. Tomorrow (today) we have another big match against Pakistan and recovery could play a pivotal role in that encounter," said Malaysian coach K. Dharmaraj.
And the fans did not have to wait for long, as Noor Faeez Ibrahim nailed the lead off the first penalty corner itself in the third minute.
After that, the forwardline of Fitri Saari, Syamim Yusof and Amir Farid all came close to increasing the scoreline, but missed their chances.
The Koreans drew level in the 28th minute when regular penalty corner flicker Yang Ji Hun played the ball to You Seung Ju who tucked it past Hazrul.
But the young Malaysians kept up the pressure and in the very next minute, re-gained the lead off Syamim Yusof who put the finishing touches to a darting run on the left by Ramadan Rosli.
After the breather, Korea were the moire aggressive side and forced penalty corners in the 37th and 39th minutes, but on both occasions Malaysian keeper Faiz stood tall.
And in the 40th minute, against the run of play, Malaysia added a third when Korean keeper Lee Se Young made a mess of a save and Syamim got his brace.
Korea drew closer when Seung Ju scored in the 43rd minute to make the score 2-3.
But Nor Hizzat Sumantri doused the fight-back in the 67th minute for a well deserved win.
Australia remained the only unbeaten team when they whipped New Zealand 6-1 for their third win in as many matches. The Aussies started slowly by beating Malaysia 2-1 and India 3-2 in the earlier matches.
A hat-trick by Flynn Ogilive and a brace by Jack Wallace and the sixth by Josh Walters gave the them a comfortable win and top spot on the standings.
TUESDAY: New Zealand 1 Australia 6, Malaysia 4 South Korea 2, Pakistan 1 India 5.
WEDNESDAY: South Korea v Australia (4pm), India v New Zealand (6pm), Pakistan v Malaysia (8pm).
FRIDAY: Australia v Pakistan (4pm), New Zealand v South Korea (6pm), India v Malaysia (8pm).
P W D L F A Pts
AUSTRALIA 3 3 0 0 11 4 9
S KOREA 3 2 0 1 10 9 6
N ZEALAND 3 1 1 1 3 7 4
MALAYSIA 3 1 1 1 6 5 4
INDIA 3 1 0 2 11 10 3
PAKISTAN 3 0 0 3 2 8 0
Asian battles begin
IT was a tale of missed chances for the National Juniors in the two Sultan of Johor Cup matches they have played to date and they can't afford any more bungles in their next three ties.
Today, Malaysia will start their Asian campaign against South Korea at the Taman Daya Stadium in Johor Baru, with matches against Pakistan and India to follow.
National Juniors coach K. Dharmaraj has said that his charges can't afford to lose to Asian teams as they will be meeting them again in the Junior Asia Cup in Malacca next year, which also doubles up as a Junior World Cup Qualifier.
However, Dharmaraj's players have shown they are masters of the "near misses" thus far in matches against Australia (2-1) and New Zealand (1-1).
"We have had our fair share of chances and misses, but Australia are the favourites here and a 2-1 score against them is not too bad actually," said team manager Mirnawan Nawawi.
And now, according to Mirnawan, the target is to win the remaining three matches and play in the final.
"Playing in the final is still within our reach but we need to win against Korea, India and Pakistan to achieve it," said Minawan.
"It would also be a good boost to beat the three teams ahead of the Junior Asia Cup where we will meet them again for a shot at the Junior World Cup."
Korea are no pushovers, as they came back from trailing India by four goals to win 6-4, and then beat Pakistan 2-1 for maximum points.
Today, Malaysia will start their Asian campaign against South Korea at the Taman Daya Stadium in Johor Baru, with matches against Pakistan and India to follow.
National Juniors coach K. Dharmaraj has said that his charges can't afford to lose to Asian teams as they will be meeting them again in the Junior Asia Cup in Malacca next year, which also doubles up as a Junior World Cup Qualifier.
However, Dharmaraj's players have shown they are masters of the "near misses" thus far in matches against Australia (2-1) and New Zealand (1-1).
"We have had our fair share of chances and misses, but Australia are the favourites here and a 2-1 score against them is not too bad actually," said team manager Mirnawan Nawawi.
And now, according to Mirnawan, the target is to win the remaining three matches and play in the final.
"Playing in the final is still within our reach but we need to win against Korea, India and Pakistan to achieve it," said Minawan.
"It would also be a good boost to beat the three teams ahead of the Junior Asia Cup where we will meet them again for a shot at the Junior World Cup."
Korea are no pushovers, as they came back from trailing India by four goals to win 6-4, and then beat Pakistan 2-1 for maximum points.
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