Rio still on their minds
Malaysia keep Olympic hopes alive with win over France
YOU CAN never write off Malaysia’s chances of a place in the Rio de Janeiro Olympics, can you?
Coach Tai Beng Hai’s men kept their Olympic hopes alive with a 4-1 win over France in the 5th-8th placing playoff match in the World Hockey League Semi-finals at the KHC Dragons Stadium yesterday.
The Malaysians could have sealed an automatic place in Rio had they finished in the top three here. They could have also sneaked in by finishing in the top four.
Surprisingly, even a fifth placing here could earn them a ticket to the Olympics, although it will depend on other factors.
It was a refreshing change to see the Malaysians fighting hard for the ball and taking their chances to score four goals after trailing by a 17th-minute strike from France’s Jean-Laurent Kieffer.
Malaysia took just a minute to get back on level terms, with Mohd Haziq Shamsul scoring off a goalmouth melee from close range.
Malaysia made it 2-1 in the 37th minute through a deflected Mohd Meor Azuan goal.
The Malaysians then earned three penalty corners in a row and it was the third, in the 47th minute, that bore fruit as Faizal Saari scored with a direct attempt.
Ten minutes later, Faizal broke through and was brought down in the D by goalkeeper Martin Zylbermann. The French keeper was shown the yellow card and Mohd Razie Rahim converted the flick to make it 4-1.
Malaysia will now face Ireland in the fight for fifth spot. Ireland had earlier defeated Pakistan 1-0.
Although skipper Razie and his team-mates had beaten the Irish 4-2 in the group stage, they know that tomorrow’s clash would be a lot closer.
“We were very determined today and wanted to win the match (against France) very much. We have a day to rest and prepare ... we will make the most of it. It was a team effort out there today,” said Razie.
In the earlier match, Alan Southern was the hero for Ireland when he scored the crucial goal in the 46th minute through a direct penalty corner flick.
The Irish took part in the first Games in 1908 and finished second to England. Only six teams featured at that Games in London then.
Ireland have not qualified for the hockey event in the Olympics since then.
As for Pakistan, they will miss the Olympics for the first time ever.
They also missed out on the 2014 World Cup for the first time after being knocked out in the qualifiers.