KUALA LUMPUR – Malaysia’s pursuit to win against Pakistan continues as they bottled their lead to draw 4-4 against the world number 15 side in their Nations Cup opening match in Gniezno, Poland today.
Having clashed 36 times before the tournament, Pakistan boast a higher winning percentage of 55.56%, with their latest victory over the Speedy Tigers coming in the recently concluded Sultan Azlan Shah Cup.
Pakistan showed early warnings on the bumpy Gniezno turf in the second minute of the match through attacker Arshad Liaqat, who nearly beat goalkeeper Hafizuddin Othman in a one-on-one shot after easily sprinting past the Malaysian defence.
The 20-year-old, who scored four goals in the Junior World Cup, came close to opening the scoring for Pakistan, only for his shot to be intercepted by veteran midfielder Marhan Jalil.
The Speedy Tigers then showed their stripes in the fourth minute when veteran midfielder Fitri Saari opened the scoring for Malaysia with a fierce shot into the opponent’s top right corner with a penalty stroke.
Azrai Abu Kamal, the top scorer in the Sultan Azlan Shah Cup with eight goals, doubled Malaysia’s lead in the seventh minute with a solo run, beating Rana Waheed Ashraf to score past Abdullah Ishtiaq Khan.
Sarjit Singh’s charges showed no room for errors in the first quarter, with experienced striker Faizal Saari tripling Malaysia’s lead in the 11th minute.
Faizal, making his 289th appearance for his country, scored the 143rd goal of his national career with a fine finish in the left corner through a penalty corner.
However, fitness and stamina issues became apparent for the Speedy Tigers in the second quarter, allowing Roelant Oltmans’s side to catch up with Abdul Rehman scoring in the 32nd minute to bring Pakistan back into the game.
Fitri doubled his tally in the 42nd minute, but Pakistan quickly capitalised on a Malaysian defensive error a minute later, with Sufyan Khan scoring from a perfect penalty corner.
The tables were quickly turned in the fourth quarter where the Tigers started playing like cubs, with only goalkeeper Hafizuddin giving his heart and soul to protect Malaysia’s lead.
Hannan Shahid Butt, in his 37th senior appearance, exploited Malaysia’s reckless defending by scoring in the 52nd minute, making it the third goal for Pakistan.
The Flying Green Horses then sealed Malaysia’s hopes of winning the match in the last few seconds of the final quarter through Abu Mahmood, who sent Hafizuddin flying with a fierce shot into the right corner of the goal.
Malaysia’s last victory against Pakistan came in the Asian Champions Trophy in Chennai, India, in August last year.
Sarjit’s charges will take on Paris Olympics-bound France in their second Pool B match on Sunday. – May 31, 2024