Junior World Cup: Malaysia Through To Semis
Mohamed Shahril Saabah in a file photo/The Star
The National Juniors defeated South Korea 2-1 in an exciting quarter-final match at the Major Dyhan Chand National Stadium here on Thursday.
Match Highlights
Match Highlights
And the hero of the day was Mohd Shahril Saabah, who netted both the goals.
The last time Malaysia made the semi-finals – in 1982 – they finished fourth.
In Friday’s semi-finals, Malaysia will take on France, who had earlier dispatched European champions Belgium 5-4 in another quarter-final tie.
Although South Korea started strongly, it was Malaysia who took the lead in the 18th minute when a quick attack saw Shahril slotting home from the top of the D.
Nine minutes later it was all level. Off their fourth penalty corner, South Korea made it 1-1 with top scorer You Seong-ju’s direct drag flick. It was his eighth goal in the tournament.
The second-half saw some scrappy play by both sides and the Koreans also resorted to a little more robust game. That, however, failed to rattle the Malaysians, who stood firm.
Their resilience paid off and the Malaysians got the winning goal in the 62nd minute off their third penalty corner, with Shahril scoring his first direct flick.
National Juniors skipper Fitri Saari, who was named man-of-the-match, said they intend to go all the way to the final and make history.
“We want to be remembered for achieving the best result at this level,” he said.
“We went into the match expecting a tough time but I was confident we could win because we have always beaten the Koreans.
“We knew what to expect ... so long as we could get the goals, the match was there to be won.
“We played to instruction, except for the last five minutes when we kept attacking while the team coaches wanted us to defend the lead.
“In the end, it finished well for us. I give credit to all the players for their attitude and fighting spirit,” said Fitri.
Full Match:
Full Match:
The Star
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