JOHOR BAHRU, Oct 12 (Bernama) -- The national junior hockey team’s hopes of securing their first victory in the Sultan of Johor Cup (SOJC) International Hockey Tournament were dashed after they were held to a 1-1 draw by Australia in their second match at the Johor Hockey Stadium, Taman Daya here tonight.
Despite the draw, Nor Saiful Zaini Nasirudin’s men delivered a much-improved performance compared to their opening match yesterday, which saw Malaysia lose 2-7 to Pakistan.
The first quarter witnessed both teams trading attacks, with the Young Tigers breaking the deadlock in the 13th minute through a penalty corner strike converted by Azimuddin Shakir Kamaruddin.
Malaysia maintained their consistent performance in the second and third quarters, successfully keeping Australia from equalising after several attempts failed to breach the Malaysia's goal.
However, the lead did not last long as Ian Grobbelaar came to Australia’s rescue, capitalising on a penalty corner opportunity to score in the 47th minute, with the match ending 1-1.
Meanwhile, at the post-match press conference, Nor Saiful expressed satisfaction with his team’s spirited display, noting a significant improvement compared to their first outing.
He said the team also adjusted their strategy after analysing weaknesses from the opening match, focusing on closing down spaces earlier to limit the opponent’s long passes.
“Today I’m very pleased because they bounced back after losing 7-2 yesterday. We drew 1-1 and almost won. That’s a positive sign for the players. Although they appeared slightly fatigued in the fourth quarter, they maintained discipline and strong fighting spirit throughout the match,” he said.
He also praised the young national goalkeeper’s performance, who conceded only one goal compared to five the previous day and made several crucial saves against Australia’s dangerous attempts.
Commenting on the next match against New Zealand, Nor Saiful said today’s result has boosted the team’s confidence to perform even better.
“With today’s draw, I believe the players are mentally and physically ready to face New Zealand. We’ll continue our preparations and work on improving our penalty corner defence,” he said.
Malaysia will next face New Zealand on Tuesday, while Great Britain will play Australia and Pakistan will take on India.
-- BERNAMA
