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HAFIFI Hafiz (centre) celebrates scoring against Ukraine. Malaysia won 5-1. Pic by S.S. Dhaliwal.MALAYSIA missed 10 sitters but still went on to beat Ukraine 5-1 to keep their Olympic Qualifier campaign chugging along in freezing cold Dublin.
It was not the kind of score one expected against Ukraine at the University College Dublin grounds, but then Malaysia are not known as a high scoring team even when playing against weaker opponents.
Project 2013 coach K. Dharmaraj, who arrived yesterday to watch the Qualifier, said goals do not matter as Malaysia only need to keep on winning all their matches here.
"The goals did not come against Ukraine, but that is not a bad sign as Malaysia just need to keep winning their matches to make sure we play in the final.
"I know the players are capable of playing better, and they will not disappoint against South Korea and Ireland, which are the crucial matches here anyway," said Dharmaraj.
Malaysia went in looking for early goals, but the Ukranian's parked themselves in numbers in their own semi-circle and defended stoutly to deny the Malaysian forwards.
Ireland had scored 12 goals against Ukraine, but they were in no mood to be whipped again, and played a defensive game.
Malaysia won their first penalty corner in the 12th minute, but Razie Rahim's flick was well stopped and the Ukranians grew in confidence after that.
But it was a matter of time before Ukraine cracked, and Tengku Ahmad Tajuddin started the ball rolling with a cracking reverse-stick shot which crashed into the net in the 25th minute.
Hafifi Hafiz then took his tournament tally to three goals when the slammed home from close range in the 32nd minute, and Malaysia started to look more composed going into the breather.
Malaysia pressed ahead in the second half but still, the ball refused to go in as the forwards missed sitters while the penalty corners also failed to work.
But the fifth penalty corner finally sailed in, as Razie Rahim's low flick in the 49th minute made it 3-0.
And the unthinkable happened in the 58th minute, when Ukraine won their first penalty corner and Volodymyr Buriatynskyi made a low attempt which easily beat the runners as well as goalkeeper S. Kumar to snatch one goal.
And with 10 minutes remaining in the match, Amin Rahim delivered his fifth goal of the tournament with a low penalty corner push, and Malaysia went 4-1 up.
A penalty stroke was awarded to Malaysia in the 69th minute, after Tengku Ahmad Tajudin was brought down in the semi-circle, and Shukri Mutalib scored form the spot for a 5-1 win.
LANKY Baljit Singh is Malaysia's pillar in defense, and his long reach has stopped many goal-bound shots during the 120 matches he has played for the country.
And the unassuming defender has found new fame in Dublin, as the legion of Malaysian fans root for him everytime he gets the ball.
However, being the most recognised face among Malaysians in Dublin has only made him more determined to help goalkeeper S. Kumar keep a clean slate.
"I am also surprised with the support I have been receiving here. It is really wonderful to hear the fans shout my name every time I get the ball, but it also means I have to be more careful and not make any mistakes as I am the last man before the ball reaches Kumar," said Baljit.
And his take so far in the tournament: "We have let in three goals after two matches and all were from counter-attacks after my team-mates were caught in the opponents half attempting a full press.
"This must be avoided at all cost, when we play South Korea and Ireland."
He personally feels the Irish are the most dangerous side in this tournament.
"I have played against the Irish and Koreans many times over the years and find that while the Koreans are still dangerous, the Irish are a more organised side in this tournament," said Baljit.
But having said that, the experienced defender is confident that both the Irish and Koreans are not invincible.
"We have been preparing for the two tough matches for a long time now, and after playing three relatively easy matches, I believe Malaysia will be ready to tackle both the tough matches."
TENGKU Ahmad Tajuddin was named as the Best Player against Russia, but he himself is perplexed on how the selection was done.
He was shocked, and almost annoyed with the tag, as he felt he did not do enough to help Malaysia beat the Russians 6-2.
"I don't know why I was selected as the Best Player, as I really was not at my best in that match," said the 26-year-old striker with 130 caps.
It was a frank assessment of himself, as Tengku Ahmad was a pale shadow the entire match, except for the part where he combined with Faizal Saari to win a penalty stroke.
"For me, it is very simple as I do not find it important to win individual awards as we need to play as a team to win matches. Also, I am not too fussy about winning by scoring field or penalty corner goals, as all we need here is a clear win," said Tengku Ahmad.
He normally gets his name on the scoreboard in almost every other match, but in Dublin, he has not been his usual self.
"My job is simple; if I can't score, I need to win a penalty corner for my mates, and that is just what I have been doing in Dublin. And it has worked wonders, as our penalty corner flickers are on fire here."
Malaysia scored off eight penalty corners, one penalty stroke and two field goals off Hafifi Hafiz and it is only a matter of time before Tengku Ahmad, or Zidane as he is known among friends, claims a few goals for himself.
MALAYSIA have been playing a game of two halves in the Olympic Qualifiers, and the lucky streak is that the fixtures had paired them against weaker sides in the opening matches at the University College Dublin grounds.
Today, they face another weak side Ukraine, and coach Tai Beng Hai must make sure that his charges play 70 minutes of hockey to not only win three points but also pile up goals.
Ireland had whitewashed Ukraine 12-0 on Sunday, and the national players must also strive to hit a double digit against the weakest side in the Qualifier.
"I think the problem is with warm-up before the match, which is not enough, and that is why we have been struggling in the first halves of both the matches," said 21-year-old Faizal Saari who has scored two goals thus far.
Goalkeeper S. Kumar also believed the same: "In Malaysia I only need to warm up for 15 minutes and I will be ready for the match, but here, even after 30 minutes, I am still a little stiff and it is difficult to move."
The Malaysian campaign is chugging along just fine, but the show of strength by Ireland is fast becoming a worrying factor.
The Irish have been relentless in both their penalty corners and also field attempts, while Malaysia have been heavily relying on penalty corners for goals.
Out of the 11 scored, only two were from field attempts while one from a penalty stroke and eight from penalty corners.
"We need the wins, and how the goals are scored does not matter. The penalty corner battery is working well, and hopefully, it keeps the momentum in the remaining matches," said Beng Hai.
For the record, Malaysia won a total of 16 penalty corners in the two matches, and all the attempts were direct flicks and not a single set-piece was used.
The secret weapon for Malaysia is Amin Rahim, who has been sparringly used by the coach as he is still recovering from a knee injury, but the seasoned campaigner has scored a total of four goals to keep the Malaysian dream afloat.
IRELAND snatched the favourites tag in the Olympic Qualifiers, after they pomelled Ukraine 12-0 in a show of strength and skills to top the standings with a total of 18 goals.
In their first match, the Irish had disposed Russia 6-1.
The Green Machine, as they are nick-named, were merciless in their onslaught and their precision in the semi-circle is simply awsome.
However, their true form will only be known today, when they square off against world No 6 South Korea.
The Koreans showed that they are vulnerable at the back as they have let in three goals, and the also needed some 30 minutes before they could crack open the Chile goalmouth for a 6-1 win.
However, Ireland coach Paul Revington was not in a mood to celebrate the goals galore, yet, when he said: “I don’t think we’ll read too much into it.”
The coach was well aware that goals might come to nothing is they do not win three points against the Koreans.
“I think we are happier with the clean sheet. It was a composed and organised performance against Ukraine, however, Korea will be tough and we’ll do our preparation to be ready for that.”
Korea have not been their usual confident self in this tournament, and the fact that they recalled four Sydney 2000 players into their ranks also indicates that they have pushed the panic button, and the Irish could just dash their Olympics dream today.
HAFIFI Hafiz (centre) celebrates scoring against Ukraine. Malaysia won 5-1. Pic by S.S. Dhaliwal.
