JAKARTA, June 2 — The national men’s hockey squad missed out on a golden opportunity to win the Men’s Hockey Asia Cup for the first time as they lost 1-2 to South Korea in the final at the Gelora Bung Karno Stadium here last night.
South Korea, who went down to the pitch with the mantle of being the most successful team with four Asian titles, first tested Malaysia’s defence with a penalty corner but goalkeeper Muhammad Hafizuddin Othman made a good save.
However, the ‘Speedy Tigers’ were punished for some sluggish play at the beginning of the second quarter by Shin Seok Kyo’s men through Jung Manjae’s field goal in the 17th minute.
Coach A. Arul Selvaraj’s squad then stepped on the pedal and found the equaliser through Syed Mohd Syafiq Syed Cholan’s field goal in the 25th minute.
Despite a flurry of attacks from South Korea throughout the third quarter, Malaysia’s excellent defence managed to keep score level.
After Malaysia failed to convert two penalty corners in a row in the final quarter, South Korea found the killer-blow through Hwang Taeil’s winning goal in the 52nd minute for a fifth Asia Cup title.
The Speedy Tigers upped the ante to restore parity once more but had to settle for second best at the final whistle. It was a tough pill to swallow for the team that scored the most goals in the tournament with 31.
“South Korea tactically managed to restrain Malaysia from adding goals, and undoubtedly, we conceded to the more experienced team,” said Arul Selvaraj after the match.
Meanwhile, national defender Muhammad Razie Abdul Rahim was named the tournament’s Top Scorer with 13 goals, leaving second-placed Koji Yamasaki (six goals) from Japan far behind.
“We gave it our all but we could not make the best of our opportunities,” said Muhammad Razie, who was also appointed as one of the ambassadors of the Asian Hockey Federation (AHF) after the competition.
Malaysia’s previous best achievements since the Asia Cup was introduced in 1982 were finishing as runners-up in the last edition (2017) in Bangladesh and third place in 2007 (India).
Meanwhile, defending champions India finished this year’s campaign in third place after recording a slim 1-0 win over 2018 Asian Games champions Japan.
— Bernama
