IPOH — Malaysia’s attackers showed up, but their defence was fragile in their third match at the ongoing Sultan Azlan Shah Cup as they defeated Paris Olympics-bound New Zealand 6-4 in a thrilling showdown.
The fiery match between the two sides attracted approximately 6,000 to 7,000 Speedy Tigers fans at the Azlan Shah Hockey Stadium in Ipoh.
National head coach Sarjit Singh applauded his attackers’ display against the world number 10 side but was disappointed with his defenders’ performance in the match.
The 61-year-old coach further described his side’s win as “lucky,” citing that the Speedy Tigers only took advantage of their opponents’ reckless errors.
“I think we were lucky today against New Zealand as we capitalised on their errors by scoring four goals in the first quarter of the match. Attackers Muhammad Azrai Aizad Abu Kamal and Faizal Saari have been extraordinary throughout the match, but we need our defenders to also step up and guard our defense.
“Our initial plan was to play along the 60-yard line, and that’s the only thing running in my mind before the match. I was not expecting this score to happen, and our opponents’ mistakes played a huge role in our victory against them.
“On a positive note, it was indeed a good win for us as it’s never easy to win against a team that has qualified for the Olympics.
“I’m also happy that the variations we planned before the match seem to be working on the turf. On top of that, I’m glad that my goalkeeper Hafizuddin Othman showed an amazing performance by stopping most of our opponents’ vicious attacks.
“The two saves that he made in the third and fourth quarter changed the game,” said Sarjit during the post-match conference.
Experienced forward Faizal, who made his 288th appearance for his country tonight, scored his 142nd goal of his national career by opening the scoring for Malaysia in the second minute of the match with a fine finish in the left corner.
Azrai Aizad, who is the top scorer for Malaysia in the tournament so far with five goals under his belt out of the opening two matches against Pakistan and Canada, scored a hattrick (5th, 14th, 60th) for the Speedy Tigers to increase his goal tally to eight goals in the tournament.
Azimuddin Kamaruddin (6th) and Muhajir Abdul Rauf (52nd) also played their part by contributing a goal each to Malaysia’s six-goal scoreline.
New Zealand’s goals were scored by Jake Smith (19th), Jonty Elmes (28th), Scott Cosslett (58th), and Isaac Houlbrooke (60th).
Defending champions Malaysia will take on Japan in their fourth match later today.
For the record, the Speedy Tigers made history when they ended a 39-year wait to win the Sultan Azlan Shah Cup for the first time after defeating South Korea 3-2 in the 2022 final.
Malaysia previously finished second five times in the 1985, 2007, 2009, 2013, and 2014 editions since the tournament was first held in 1983. — May 8, 2024