VAN HUIZEN’S BOYS MUST WORK HARDER
National team perform poorly in friendly matches against Australia A
THINGS are not going great for the national team ahead of the Asian Games following their poor performance in friendly matches in Australia.
Yesterday, Stephen Van Huizen’s side were thrashed 6-1 by Australia A (comprising a mixed squad of Australian players) in their final friendly in Perth.
Razie Rahim netted off a penalty corner set piece in the 25th minute for Malaysia’s only goal in the match.
For the record, Malaysia suffered 4-2, 3-2 and 3-0 defeats in the opening three matches and drew 2-2 draw in the fourth friendly.
Van Huizen admitted that his players did not perform well.
“We were slow to react and also made defensive errors while Australia were sharp and they punished us for our mistakes.
“While trying to create scoring opportunities, we were hit on the counter.
“Overall, we could have played better. We did not react accordingly when we were under pressure.
“However, it was a good test as the players played quality matches here.
“These matches have also given me insights on what my team must work on ahead of the Asian Games,” said Van Huizen in Perth.
Malaysia are in Group B with Pakistan, Bangladesh, Oman, Thailand and hosts Indonesia at the Asian Games.
The gold medallists at the Asian Games will qualify for the 2020 Tokyo Olympic Games.