Johor to face five-time champions KL in final

KUALA LUMPUR: Johor scored three goals in the first half to beat Perak 3-2 and qualify for the final of the National Under-14 hockey tournament.

This will be Johor’s first appearance in the final where they face a daunting task against defending champions Kuala Lumpur at the Seremban II Hockey Stadium today.

KL, who are gunning for their sixth consecutive title, beat hosts Negri Sembilan 2-0 in the other semi-final.

Johor took the lead as early as the fifth minute through a field goal from Mohd Taufik Kamjai.

Six minutes later, they doubled the score off a penalty corner goal by Mohd Haikal Safarudin before Mohd Amirul Firdaus Shamsudin made it 3-0 just before half-time.

Perak, who finished third last year, fought back after the breather and managed to score two goals through Mohd Najmi Hayazi in the 46th and 57th minutes.

They then went all out to get the equaliser but Johor defended well in numbers to deny them.

Johor team manager Anuar Sarmin said they were delighted to reach the final as they had started as underdogs against Perak.

“We began well by taking a 3-0 lead but almost blew it after the breather as Perak came close to scoring three goals,” said Anuar.

“We expect another tough encounter against favourites KL, who have yet to lose in the tournament.

“It will be really great if we can turn the tables on KL in the final as we drew 1-1 with them in the group match.”

It was heartbreak for Negri, who despite dominating the match, and with strong support from the home crowd, were let down by poor finishing.

KL, coached by former national skipper Mohd Madzli Ikmar, came alive in the second-half to take the lead in the 41st minute off a penalty corner by Mohd Fitri Khairul Ariffin.

Six minutes from regulation time, Fitri Khairul was on target again to secure KL’s place in the final.