KUALA LUMPUR — The national hockey team concluded their round-robin campaign in the 2024 Women’s Asian Champions Trophy (ACT) with a 2-0 victory over Thailand at the Rajgir Hockey Stadium in India today.
Malaysia broke the deadlock in the 41st minute when Nur Afiqah Syahzani Azhar converted a penalty corner. Nur Iman Adawiyah Mohd Suhaimi then sealed the win with a field goal in the 53rd minute.
Despite the win, Coach Nasihin Nubli Ibrahim’s squad must wait to see if they qualify for the semi-finals. They currently sit third in the six-team standings with six points from five matches.
“This is our second win, but we didn’t play to our full potential,” said Nasihin. “We need to improve key aspects like fitness and strength, as we’re still far behind some of Asia’s top teams.
“Hopefully, the players realise they need to work harder to consistently compete among the best in Asia.”
Malaysia’s semi-final hopes now depend on the results of two later matches: South Korea must lose to China or Japan must fall to India.
India lead the standings with 12 points, followed by China (9 points). Malaysia (6 points) are in third, with Japan (5 points), South Korea (4 points), and Thailand (1 point) rounding out the table.
The top four teams will progress to the semi-finals, while the bottom two will compete in a fifth-sixth placing playoff.
Malaysia’s earlier matches included a 2-1 win over South Korea and losses to Japan (2-1), India (4-0), and China (5-0).
In last year’s edition, Malaysia finished fifth after defeating Thailand 1-0 in Ranchi, India. — November 17, 2024