Malaysia as chaotic as Delhi traffic...

MALAYSIA were not at their best, but the three points they shaved off New Zealand was a valuable step towards their target of finishing among the best in the Junior World Cup in New Delhi.
   Skipper Fitri Saari and his men were as chaotic as the New Delhi traffic, where rules are made to be broken by every form on wheels. Whizzing in and out, honking like crazy, and daring the other driver to cross their path is the attitude of the typical India driver.
   And not to mention the carts pulled by horses, elephants, and even camels freely intermingling with the traffic with chaotic harmony.
   But there was no harmony in Malaysia's 3-2 win over the Kiwis, as they almost lost the script in their chaotic approach of the match.
    And coach K. Dharmaraj summed it up when he said "we were lucky". But luck sometimes runs out of the New Delhi drivers too, as almost almost the cars, bikes and trucks have dents and scars to remind one of their mistakes on the road.
   Malaysia can no longer depend on luck in their remaining matches against England and South Africa. For the record, South Africa beat England 2-1, and Malaysia will be meeting the Africaans today at the Dhyan Chand Stadium.
    "At times, we were really reckless against New Zealand and we can't affford that in the remaining two matches. Starting with South Africa, we need to win all matches and not rely on other results to move into the last-eight," said Fitri.
   The Evel Knievel dare-devil attitude must only be displayed in the opponents semi-circle, and not in ther own back-yard which gave away nine silly penalty corners to the Kiwis.
   "Reallistically speaking, there ar no easy teams in the World Cup. Every team came here with a mission, and to take South Africa lightly would be foolish," said Dharmaraj.
    Foolish were Pakistan, when they toyed around with Egypt in Group A, and the score stood at 2-2 at one time, before they had to bring out their best to win 3-2.
    South African coach Darryn Galagher, knew the score when he said: "We came here knowing well that Malaysia would be the team to beat in our Group (D) and it will not be an easy match, as we need to counter their speedy strikers."
    Speedy, but not sharp, were the Malaysian strikers in their opening match.
    "Now that the first match of the tournament is out of the way, I believe my players would be much more settled after a day's rest. We came here with a mission, and at no cost, would stray from it," said Dharmaraj.
    Dharmaraj's personal target, just like the other 15 coaches, is to see his charges win the gold. And the first step towards it would be to collect full nine points in Group D, and not wait for other results to work in their favour to play in the quarter-finals.

Dharma's boys do just enough...

MALAYSIA were clumsy, at times playing like novices, but still managed to beat New Zealand 3-2 in a dramatic Junior World Cup match at the Dhyan Chand Stadium in New Delhi Friday.
   There was plenty of drama in the final three minutes of the Group D match, as New Zealand took out their goalkeeper Richard Joyce and replaced him with a striker as they went looking for the equalsier, but it never came as Malaysia killed the clock with some good defending.
    "It was a jittery and cold start even though the weather was pleasent, but this is to be expected in the first match of the World Cup. We were lucky to win, but then again, every team needs luck at one time of the other," said Malaysian coach K. Dharmaraj.
    New Zealand coach Grant Edwards said his charges  layed well in the firts half: "We did well for 35 minutes and should have won the match then, but nothing went right in the second half and now we will have to beat the other two teams to make sure we play in the quarter-finals."
   Malaysia skipper Fitri Shaari feels his mates will play much better after this cold start.
    "It was not our normal game, as we made too many mistakes and gave away nine penalty corners. However, we will take the good and leave the bad behind in our next match."
   After a rest day today, Malaysia play South Africa on Sunday followed by England on Monday to wrap-up their Group D fixtures.
   It was a heart-stopping start for Malaysia as New Zealand won the first penalty corner in the fourth minute itself, but the shortest player on the picth Faiz Jali, ran out like a pouncing tiger to clear the ball for a counter-attack.
   And the counter won Malaysia their first penalty corner in the fifth minute, which did not saw a lift-off but the umpire awarded Malaysia their second penalty corner.
   It was a set-piece which caught everybody by surprise, as Kavin Kartik pushed towards skipper Fitri Saari, who in turn passed the ball to Shahril Saabah to slap home the opening goal in the sixth minute.
   But after that goal, Malaysia gave away four penalty corners from the  10th to the 14th minute, and finally Kane Russel sent in a high ball crashing into the net to equalise.
   After that Malaysia had the upper hand for the remaining of the first half, but could not find the lead again, and trooped into the dressing room looking, planning for win.
   The good part in the first 35 minutes was that all the Malaysian players were highly disciplined, and never argued with the umpires, but kept their cool even when some decisions went against them.
    The boys looked much more settled after the rest, and it did not take long for Rashid Baharom to score a field goal in the 37th minute, to re-ignite the Malaysian fire as New Delhi starts to get colder, as darkness creeps in.
    But the joy was short-lived as Kane Russel scores his second penalty corner goal, this time with a low flick in the 47th minute to equalise again.
   However, even with their bungling play which gave away New Zealand many chances, the Malaysian team lived to re-take the lead for the third time in the match.
   This time, they used the video refferal to their advantage for the first time to win their fifth penalty corner, and Shahril Saabah's push was connected home by Firhan Ashaari for 3-2.
    The weather dropped a few degrees further, but even in a cold and clumsy opening game, coach K. Dharmaraj's boys sealed three crucial points which took them a step closer to the quarter-finals.

Junior World Cup scores and standings

FRIDAY:
  RESULTS: Group A: Germany 1 Belgium 3, Pakistan 3 Egypt 2.
 Group B: Australia 5 Argentina 2, Spain 3 France 4.
 Group C: South Korea 7 Canada 4, Netherlands 3 India 2.
 Group D: New Zealand 2 Malaysia 3, England 1 South Africa 2.
GROUP A
                                P  W  D  L  F  A  Pts
BELGIUM                 1   1  0   0  3   1  3
PAKISTAN                1   1  0   0  3   2  3
EGYPT                      1   0  0   1  2   3  0
GERMANY               1   0  0   1  1   3  0

GROUP B
                                P  W  D  L  F  A  Pts
AUSTRALIA             1   1  0   0  5   2  3
FRANCE                  1   1  0   0  4   3  3
SPAIN                      1   0  0   1  3   4  0
ARGENTINA             1   0  0   1  2   5  0

GROUP C
                               P  W  D  L  F  A  Pts
S KOREA               1   1  0   0  7   4  3
NETHERLANDS    1   1  0   0  3   2  3
INDIA                     1   0  0   1  2   3  0
CANADA                1   0  0   1  4   7  0


GROUP D
                              P  W  D  L  F  A Pts
MALAYSIA             1   1  0   0  3   2  3
S AFRICA               1   1  0   0  2   1  3
N ZEALAND           1   0  0   1  2   3  0
ENGLAND              1   0  0   1  1   2  0

Malaysia down Kiwis to edge closer to quarters...

Faiz Jali receiving the man-of-the-match award.

ASIAN Champions Malaysia beat New Zealand 3-2 in a dramatic Junior World Cup match at the Dhyan Chand Stadium in New Delhi on Friday
   There was plenty of drama in the final three minutes of the Group D match, as New Zealand took out their goalkeeper Richard Joyce and replaced him with a striker as they went looking for the equalsier, but it never came as Malaysia killed the clock with some good defending.
    The Malaysian goals were scored by  Shahril Saabah (sixth), Rashid Baharom (14th) and Firhan Ashaari (53rd). The Kiwi brace was scored off penalty corners by Kane Russell.
    After a rest day Saturday, Malaysia play South Africa on Sunday followed by England on Monday to wrap-up their Group D fixtures.

Skipper with a lion’s heart

CAPTAIN Fitri Saari was spotted way back in 2007 when he scored a brace to help Kelantan beat Singapore 2-1 in the National Under-14 tournament at the Pandamaran Stadium in Klang.

Fitri scored off a penalty corner and then a marvellous field goal which brought the fans to their feet.
He was only 14, and the scouts had already placed a tick next to his name on the team list.
Fast forward to 2011 and the 18-year-old made his senior team debut by playing in the inaugural Asian Champions Trophy, the same year he handed Malaysia the Sultan of Johor Cup title by scoring a goal in the 3-2 win against Australia.
As a 20-year-old with 56 senior caps, he will lead Malaysia’s assault against New Zealand, South Africa and England.
“I grew up in the shadow of my more established brother Faizal (the best senior team striker in Malaysia today) and after he played in the 2009 Junior World Cup, I told myself that I can also make the grade.
“It was not easy, but I put in many extra hours outside of normal training and now the coach has placed his trust in me to wear the arm band.
“I am ready, the team are ready, and we can’t wait for the tournament to get underway,” said the pint-sized skipper.
Size does not matter for this skipper, as he has rubbed shoulders with the giants from Europe when playing in the World League Semi-finals in Johor Baru where Malaysia finished fifth and qualified for next year’s senior World Cup in the Netherlands.
“I have been pushed, elbowed, and sent flying in tackles against bigger European players but I always keep my eyes on the ball, and never give up a fair fight for possession,” said Fitri.
And his determination, and a strong heart, makes up for his size.
“My mission is to lead the team into the quarter-finals, and then plan for the next stage. I have 17 other players who are just as determined as me, and that makes my work on the pitch that much easier.”
Malaysia need to beat New Zealand at all cost today, for Fitri and his teammates to keep their sights on the quarter-finals.