It’s crunch time for Malaysia in Asian Champions Trophy

KUANTAN: It will be the moment of truth as leaders Malaysia gear up to face favourites India and the ever-potent South Korea in their final two round-robin matches at the Asian Champions Trophy.

Malaysia are already through to the semi-finals in the six-nation hockey tournament with nine points after three wins over holders Pakistan (4-2), China (5-1) and Japan (7-2).

They play India, the 2014 Asian Games champions, tomorrow and South Korea, a three-time Asiad gold medallists, on Thursday.

National skipper Mohamed Shukri Mutalib said they must not be complacent but continue to work hard to get the desired results.

“We must maintain our level of consistency. It’s going to be tougher now, starting with India. The good thing is there’s better unity in the team and we are playing to our full potential,” said Shukri.

“It is also good to see the players hitting the goal trail and not selfish about who scores. We need to keep the winning mentality going and not be afraid of any team.

“But I must admit that India is at a level higher than the rest of the field. We need to improve a bit more and play better.”

India, coached by Dutchman Roelant Oltmans, are second in the standings with seven points from two wins and a draw.

National coach Stephen van Huizen admitted India and South Korea would be tough to beat.

“Our plan from the beginning is to ensure we took full points from the first three matches to make the last four.

“The pressure is off us now. We can play India and South Korea at a measured pace. The players are improving with each match and are always working at rectifying their mistakes.

“This is good as the team is now more self-assured. With each win, the confidence level is also better. But how much we have really improved will be seen when we play against India,” said Stephen.

All in, Malaysia have played India 109 times. The Malaysians have won only 15 times with their last win – a 3-2 success – coming in the Sultan Azlan Shah Cup last year. India have won 76 times while 18 matches ended in draws.