BAD DAY FOR MALAYSIA
Team fail to capitalise on penalty corners as India take their chances well
EVERY team have a bad day, and Malaysia’s was yesterday when they were outclassed by World No 6 India 6-2 in the round robin of the Asia Cup in Dhaka, Bangladesh.
However, the national players still have a chance of playing in the final, provided they beat South Korea tomorrow.
“It’s not that Malaysia played badly, it’s just that India took their chances while our players missed theirs.
“We had 13 penalty corners and scored one, while India had only three. And I believe the match would have turned around for us, if Ramadan (Rosli) had trapped the ball and scored, instead of missing it with a wild swing.
“Having said that, Malaysia still have the composure to beat South Korea and play in the final,” said Malaysian Hockey Confederation (MHC) Technical Director Terry Walsh.
Walsh said: “The tournament is far from over for Malaysia. South Korea can be beaten again (Malaysia beat them 2-1 in Group A.”
Yesterday, South Korea were held 1-1 by Pakistan, and a win in their last round robin match on Saturday will cement Malaysia’s spot in the final.
India got their goals off Akashdeep Singh (14th), Harmanpreet Singh (19th), Uthappa Sannuvanda (24th), Gurjant Singh (33rd), Sunil Sowmarpet (40th) and Sardar Singh (60th).
Razie Rahim (50th) and Ramadan Rosli (58th) were on target for Malaysia.
In an earlier match, Pakistan took the lead through Ajar Ahmad in the 15th minute while Lee Namyong equalised in the 48th minute.
India have a superior record against Malaysia in the Asia Cup. In 10 editions, both the teams have played each other seven times with India winning six and drawing once.