MALAYSIA, wearing an all-white outfit, were not clinical but still beat China 5-1 to move closer to the semi-finals of the Asian Champions Trophy in Kuantan Friday.
Coach Stephen van Huizen, elated with the three points, agreed that there are areas that need improvement.
"We got the three points, and even though the team has been scoring more from penalty corner rebounds in two matches, I'm happy cos they are still goals.
"I understand that China are a young team, but the pressure was not on them and so they played calmly," said van Huizen.
China coach Song Yi is looking at the next four years to groom his side.
"We played in the national championships two weeks before the ACT and selected a young side because we are looking for results in four years time. The scoreline was big, but my players can play better but did not perform against Malaysia," said Song.
Razie Rahim, the No 1 penalty corner flicker could not execute powerful flicks, but they were on target and Haziq Samsul made the rebounds count.
Haziq scored off penalty corner rebounds in the sixth and 20th minutes, while Fitri Shaari's world class field goal in the 22nd minute gave coach Stephen van Huizen's men some breathing space going into the half-time break.
China pulled one back off Wang Bowen in the 33rd minute, but Shahril Saabah scored off a penalty corner attempt in the 37th minute to take a three-goal lead again.
Goalkeeper S. Kumar played one of his beat game yet, as he pulled off stunning saves to deny China.
Firhan Ashaari made it 5-1 with a penalty corner rebound in the 54th minute.
After a days rest, Malaysia play Japan and a win would ensure their semi-finals slot.
In another match, Pakistan edged South Korea 1-0 with a last minute penalty corner goal scored by Abdul Khan.
RESULTS: Pakistan 1 South Korea 0, Malaysia 5 China 1.
SATURDAY: India v South Korea (6.30pm), China v Japan (8.30pm).
SUNDAY: India v Pakistan (6.30pm), Malaysia v Japan (8.30pm).
STANDINGS
P W D L F A Pts
MALAYSIA 2 2 0 0 9 3 6
INDIA 1 1 0 0 10 2 3
PAKISTAN 2 1 0 1 3 4 3
S. KOREA 1 0 0 1 0 1 0
CHINA 1 0 0 1 1 5 0
JAPAN 1 0 0 1 2 10 0
Friday, October 21, 2016
Good start for Malaysia...
Faizal Shaari, who returned to the national squad after serving his six-month ban and service with the back-up squad, scored a penalty stroke and a field goal to hand Malaysia the crucial win.
The first quarter was shaky, as Malaysia and Pakistan both played bad hockey and the crowd were almost put to sleep,
However, when the rain came pouring and stopped the match for 10 minutes, Malaysia regrouped and came out looking fresh in attack -- winning three crucial points in their attempt to finish higher than three consecutive bronze medals in the ACT.
Coach Stephen van Huizen's men lived dangerously, and three goals after the second half breather is what separated them from Pakistan.
They face China today, in what is expected to be another three points in the bag.
"The rain came at the right moment and my players regrouped and put up a good fight in the opening match even though Pakistan are never easy to beat," said Van Huizen.
"Penalty corners are our strongest in this tournament, and we utilised those that came our way. As for Faizal his goals made the difference but there is still much work to be done form him before he becomes what he was in previous years," said Van Huizen.
And China?: "We expect another good match, and even though they are a new side, nothing can be taken for granted tomorrow (today)."
Malaysia, with six penalty corner flickers in their fold, won their first in the 12th minute but Razie Rahim's flick was blocked by the first runner and they were awarded a consecutive second.
This time, Razie was on target but the ball was deflected out for pusher Firhan Ashaari to knock in from close range for a 13th minute lead.
However Aleem Bilal, 23, and into his first International with the seniors, scored two penalty corner goals in the 18th and 34th minutes to put the pressure on the hosts.
It was then that the match was stopped for 10 minutes as the rain lashed heavier and flooded the pitch.
And after resumption, two consecutive rough tackles by Pakistan goalkeeper Imran Butt on youngster Aiman Nik Rosemi in the 36th, resulted in a penalty stroke after a video referral.
Faizal Shaari executed a low push from the spot, and Malaysia were level at 2-2 by the 37th minute.
Malaysia were presented with a golden opportunity when they won their fifth penalty corner in the 41st minute, and Shahril Saabah's attempt made it 3-2.
The fourth goal came off a botched sixth penalty corner under pouring rain, which was salvaged by a powerful hit to the top of the net by Faizal in the 60th minute, for his brace.
RESULTS: Malaysia 4 Pakistan 2, India 10 Japan 2.
FRIDAY: Pakistan v South Korea (6.30pm), Malaysia v China (8.30pm).
SATURDAY: India v South Korea (6.30pm), China v Japan (8.30pm).
STANDINGS
P W D L F A Pts
INDIA 1 1 0 0 10 2 3
MALAYSIA 1 1 0 0 4 2 3
PAKISTAN 1 0 0 1 2 4 0
JAPAN 1 0 0 1 0 10 0
CHINA 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
S. KOREA 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
Thursday, October 20, 2016
Wednesday, October 19, 2016
No reason for Malaysia to lose ACT opener...
MALAYSIA will open the Asian Champions Trophy (ACT) accounts against Pakistan in Kuantan Thursday, and nothing but a win is expected from coach Stephen van Huizen's men.
For, Malaysia will field their strongest penalty corner battery of six players, as well as having a better squad than the one which finished which sixth in the recent Australian Hockey League.
And Pakistan will be playing without their skipper Mohamed Irfan, who never arrived in Kuantan due to visa problems back home.
Van Huizen said as both the teams will be trying to claw back into world hockey, it will be a tough encounter.
"Both Pakistan and Malaysia missed out of the Rio Olympics and are trying to climb back into the world hockey ladder and so I expect a tough match from the ACT defending champions," said van Huizen.
The six penalty corner flickers for Malaysia are Shahril Saabah, Fitri Shaari, Firhan Ashaari, Razie Rahim, Faizal Shaari and Najmi Farizal.
"Our penalty corner choises are the strongest ever as I have five other players to select from other than our No 1 Razie.
"This will be our mainstay in the tournament, where we aim to qualify for the semi-finals first and then take one game at a time."
In the last encounter at the Azlan Shah Cup, Malaysia edged Pakistan 1-0 with the winner coming from Razie's direct flick.
However, in the ACT, Malaysia have yet to beat Pakistan in the three encounters. They lost 3-2 in 2011, drew 2-2 in 2012 and lost 1-0 in 2013 when the tournament was last held.
Pakistan manager Hanif Khan said the absence of Irfan will be felt, but they have Plan B.
"Our captain Irfan could not make it here due to viss problems and so we will be bringing in another player soon. It will be tougher for us now, but we have a Plan B to counter his absence," said Hanif.
Pakistan won the last two editions and are gunning for a hat-trick.
"We came here on a hat-trick mission, and winning the first match will be utmost in our minds to kick-start that ambition," said Hanif.
The other teams in the ACt are India, South Korea, China and Japan.
THURSDAY: Malaysia v Pakistan (6.30pm), India v Japan (8.30pm).
FRIDAY: Pakistan v South Korea (6.30pm), Malaysia v China (8.30pm).
For, Malaysia will field their strongest penalty corner battery of six players, as well as having a better squad than the one which finished which sixth in the recent Australian Hockey League.
And Pakistan will be playing without their skipper Mohamed Irfan, who never arrived in Kuantan due to visa problems back home.
Van Huizen said as both the teams will be trying to claw back into world hockey, it will be a tough encounter.
"Both Pakistan and Malaysia missed out of the Rio Olympics and are trying to climb back into the world hockey ladder and so I expect a tough match from the ACT defending champions," said van Huizen.
The six penalty corner flickers for Malaysia are Shahril Saabah, Fitri Shaari, Firhan Ashaari, Razie Rahim, Faizal Shaari and Najmi Farizal.
"Our penalty corner choises are the strongest ever as I have five other players to select from other than our No 1 Razie.
"This will be our mainstay in the tournament, where we aim to qualify for the semi-finals first and then take one game at a time."
In the last encounter at the Azlan Shah Cup, Malaysia edged Pakistan 1-0 with the winner coming from Razie's direct flick.
However, in the ACT, Malaysia have yet to beat Pakistan in the three encounters. They lost 3-2 in 2011, drew 2-2 in 2012 and lost 1-0 in 2013 when the tournament was last held.
Pakistan manager Hanif Khan said the absence of Irfan will be felt, but they have Plan B.
"Our captain Irfan could not make it here due to viss problems and so we will be bringing in another player soon. It will be tougher for us now, but we have a Plan B to counter his absence," said Hanif.
Pakistan won the last two editions and are gunning for a hat-trick.
"We came here on a hat-trick mission, and winning the first match will be utmost in our minds to kick-start that ambition," said Hanif.
The other teams in the ACt are India, South Korea, China and Japan.
THURSDAY: Malaysia v Pakistan (6.30pm), India v Japan (8.30pm).
FRIDAY: Pakistan v South Korea (6.30pm), Malaysia v China (8.30pm).
Monday, October 17, 2016
SOJC: Malaysia in for a tough time...
THE Sixth Sultan of Johor Cup (SOJC) promises high quality matches as most teams will be using the tournament as a final preparation for the Junior World Cup in Dec 8-18 in Lucknow, India.
Organised by the Johor Hockey Association, the SOJC will be held on Oct 31 to Nov 6 at the Taman Daya Hockey Stadium, and entry is free.
The six competing are Pakistan, Australia, New Zealand and hosts Malaysia with England and Japan making their debut.
Only Malaysia will not see action at the Junior World Cup and team manager Yahya Atan was the first to admit that it will be a keenly contested tournament.
"All the five other teams are in the final stages of preparation for the Junior World Cup and will potentially be the early favourites for the title," said Yahya.
"We will no doubt face strong opponents but at the same time our players too have benefited from playing in the Australian Hockey League as part of our preparations for the SOJC."
Yahya added that the team will be going to Johor Baru on October 24 and the final list of players, coached by Wallace Tan and Amin Rahim will be announced this coming Friday.
Two juniors, Najmi Farizal Azlan and Nik Aiman Nik Rozemi who are eligible to play in the Under-21 tournament have been selected for duty with the senior national team that will compete in the Asian Champions Trophy in Kuantan on Oct 20-30.
However Najib Hassan, another player in the senior training squad, has been given the nod to join his junior counterparts.
The team can count on Rizwan Azmi, Firdaus Omar, Lukman Nur Hakim, Nor Azmi Rahman, Syed Shafiq Syed Choulan, Amirul Aideed, Ashran Hamsani, Rafizul Ezry Mustafa, Norsyafiq Sumantri, Sufi Ismat Rohulmin and Akhimullah Anuar, all of whom were in Perth, Australia for the AHL.
Yesterday, several sponsors presented their contributions towards the tournament to YAM Tunku Idris Iskandar ibni Sultan Ibrahim, Tengku Temenggong Johor.
The total sponsorship received was RM1.450 million.
Also present was Menteri Besar Datuk Seri Mohamed Khaled Nordin and Johor Hockey Association President Datuk Haji Jais Sarday and Deputy President Datuk Manjit Majid Abdullah.
Leading the list of contributors were the Johor State Government with RM500,000, followed by Astaka Padu RM200,000, Johor Corporation, UM Land, Tenaga Nasional Berhad, Yayasan Harmoni, JBB Builders, all contributing RM100,000 each.
Organised by the Johor Hockey Association, the SOJC will be held on Oct 31 to Nov 6 at the Taman Daya Hockey Stadium, and entry is free.
The six competing are Pakistan, Australia, New Zealand and hosts Malaysia with England and Japan making their debut.
Only Malaysia will not see action at the Junior World Cup and team manager Yahya Atan was the first to admit that it will be a keenly contested tournament.
"All the five other teams are in the final stages of preparation for the Junior World Cup and will potentially be the early favourites for the title," said Yahya.
"We will no doubt face strong opponents but at the same time our players too have benefited from playing in the Australian Hockey League as part of our preparations for the SOJC."
Yahya added that the team will be going to Johor Baru on October 24 and the final list of players, coached by Wallace Tan and Amin Rahim will be announced this coming Friday.
Two juniors, Najmi Farizal Azlan and Nik Aiman Nik Rozemi who are eligible to play in the Under-21 tournament have been selected for duty with the senior national team that will compete in the Asian Champions Trophy in Kuantan on Oct 20-30.
However Najib Hassan, another player in the senior training squad, has been given the nod to join his junior counterparts.
The team can count on Rizwan Azmi, Firdaus Omar, Lukman Nur Hakim, Nor Azmi Rahman, Syed Shafiq Syed Choulan, Amirul Aideed, Ashran Hamsani, Rafizul Ezry Mustafa, Norsyafiq Sumantri, Sufi Ismat Rohulmin and Akhimullah Anuar, all of whom were in Perth, Australia for the AHL.
Yesterday, several sponsors presented their contributions towards the tournament to YAM Tunku Idris Iskandar ibni Sultan Ibrahim, Tengku Temenggong Johor.
The total sponsorship received was RM1.450 million.
Also present was Menteri Besar Datuk Seri Mohamed Khaled Nordin and Johor Hockey Association President Datuk Haji Jais Sarday and Deputy President Datuk Manjit Majid Abdullah.
Leading the list of contributors were the Johor State Government with RM500,000, followed by Astaka Padu RM200,000, Johor Corporation, UM Land, Tenaga Nasional Berhad, Yayasan Harmoni, JBB Builders, all contributing RM100,000 each.
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