Malaysia alive and kicking ...

By Jugjet Singh
jugjet@nst.com.my

KUALA LUMPUR: Malaysian hockey came back to life in the Azlan Shah Cup, when they beat Japan for the fourth straight time since the Jakarta Asian Games nightmare.
  This match could be the turning point to not only advance to the final in Ipoh, but stamp their mark in the FIH Series Finals which Kuala Lumpur will host on April 26 to May 4.
  Japan coach Siegfried Aikman had said a day before the sizzling match that Malaysian hockey had died in Jakarta when we lost the shoot-out and also the gold to Blue Samurai.
  He meant a mental death, but four straight wins against Japan showed that the Asian Games was a one-off summer for the Samurai, and not the death of hockey in Malaysia.
  Starting with the Darwin International 4-0 win, Malaysia went on to beat Japan twice in the Asian Champions Trophy.
   Malaysia won 3-0 in the pool stage, and then held them to a 2-2 draw before winning the bronze 3-2 on shoot-out.
  And now the Azlan Shah Cup..
  Aikman had requested Malaysian fans to show up in force to resurrect their team's mental death, and the people of Ipoh took up the clarion call and it was a match to cherish for a long time.
  However, Malaysia need to keep their feet on the ground as they next play three strong teams in India, South Korea and Canada.
  These three have shown that they have the heart, desire and legs to play in the final, and Malaysia need to play much better than their previous two matches to shut the door on them.
  "The fans in Ipoh are really great and they made the difference. However, Malaysia did not win the match, but we gave it to them by making three silly passes which resulted in three goals," said Aikman a Dutchman of Surinamese origin.
  A win is a win, by hook or crook...


STANDINGS

                P  W  D  L  F  A  Pts
MALAYSIA        2  2  0  0  9  4  6
S KOREA         2  1  1  0  7  4  4
INDIA           2  1  1  0  3  1  4
CANADA          2  1  0  1  7  6  3
JAPAN           2  0  0  2  3  6  0
POLAND          2  0  0  2  1  9  0


  TUESDAY: Japan v Canada (4pm), Poland v South Korea (6pm), Malaysia v India (8.35pm).
  WEDNESDAY: Poland v Japan (4pm), Canada v India (6pm), Malaysia v South Korea (8.35pm).
  THURSDAY: REST DAY.
  FRIDAY: India v Poland (4pm), South Korea v Japan (6pm), Malaysia v Canada (8.35pm).