KUALA LUMPUR: The national junior men’s hockey squad completed their final Group B stage hurdle of the 2023 Junior Asia Cup in Salalah, Oman in top position after defeating the host country 1-0 early this morning.
In the match held at the Sultan Qaboos Youth Complex, Shahmie Irfan Suhaimi’s goal from a penalty corner in the 48th minute was enough to ensure that the national squad maintain its unbeaten record in the tournament.
The Young Tigers have been having an excellent tournament prior to this match, whipping Uzbekistan and Bangladesh 8-1 and 5-1 respectively.
The squad coached by Muhamad Amin Rahim went on to book their ticket to the semi-finals when they beat South Korea 3-1 last Sunday. They now face Pakistan in the last four.
Meanwhile, Muhamad Amin said the narrow victory in the last game of the group stage was not exactly what he had in mind, and expressed dissatisfaction with several wasted scoring chances and penalty corners.
“They appeared to be quite laid back and if this continues we will face problems in the semifinals.
“So I hope they buck up and raise their game again against Pakistan,” he said via a video shared to the media by the Malaysian Hockey Confederation (MHC). – BERNAMA
