Asian Games: South Korea beats Malaysia's Speedy Tigers
September 30, 2023
Tiga pasukan ketika ini berkongsi sembilan mata iaitu Malaysia, Korea Selatan dan China, namun anak buah Arul Selvaraj masih mendahului buat masa ini dengan perbezaan jaringan. - Gambar/ Stadium AstroAsian Games: South Korea's Speedy Tigers qualify for early semi-finals
Three teams currently share nine points, namely Malaysia, South Korea and China, but Arul Selvaraj's men are still leading for now with the difference in goals. - Photo/ Astro Stadium
HANGZHOU: The national men's hockey squad's desire to qualify for the semi-finals early was blocked by South Korea, after losing 3-4 in the fourth Group B match of the Hangzhou 2022 Asian Games at the Gongshu Canal Sports Park Stadium here, today.
In a fierce clash that saw both teams exchange goals, the national squad coached by A. Arul Selvaraj, nicknamed 'Speedy Tigers', took the lead as early as the fifth minute through Mohamad Ashran Hamsani's finisher.
South Korea equalized after their star player Jang Jong Hyun, who has extensive experience playing in the local league scene with the Terengganu Hockey Team (THT), converted a penalty kick in the 11th minute.
Malaysia took the lead again when Faizal Saari calmly finished off a penalty corner in the 30th minute, but Shin Seokkyo's opposing team once again managed to equalize through Lee Nam Yong, two minutes into the third quarter.
The score was again tied at 3-3 in the short term, when Jang's penalty corner denied Muhammad Razie Abd Rahim's penalty kick that saw both goals scored in the 44th minute.
In the fourth quarter, Muhammad Razie missed a golden opportunity to put Malaysia back in front, after failing to complete a penalty kick before South Korea scored the winning goal through Yang Jihun's penalty five minutes before the final whistle.
This is Malaysia's first defeat in the group after beating Thailand 9-0, Oman (11-1) and Indonesia 9-2 before.
"There were some simple mistakes made such as in terms of concentration and what I want to remind the players is the sensitivity around the field. This is our weakness because our sensitivity is a bit sluggish.
"If we play with high sensitivity, the movement of the ball is good, but today, it is a little slow because we are not sensitive on the field," said Arul Selvaraj after the match while refusing to blame Muhammad Razie, after failing to complete the penalty hit.
Meanwhile, Muhammad Razie admitted to being disappointed with his failure and determined to rise in the must-win match against China, in the last action of the group next Monday (Oct 2).
"I take responsibility for not being able to score that last penalty and for today's result. I hope we will rise and do our best for the last action," said the 26-year-old.
Three teams currently share nine points, namely Malaysia, South Korea and China, but Arul Selvaraj's men are still leading for now with the difference in goals.
