KUALA LUMPUR, Nov 9 — The national hockey team is on a mission to kill two birds with one stone in the Sultan Azlan Shah Cup final against South Korea in Ipoh, Perak tomorrow.
National head coach A. Arul Selvaraj said that apart from creating history by lifting the Cup for the first time, the Speedy Tigers will also be seeking to avenge their 2-1 final defeat by South Korea that wrecked Malaysia’s hopes of winning the Asia Cup in Jakarta, Indonesia in May.
Malaysia also went down 3-0 to Shin Seok Kyo’s side in the opening tie of the Sultan Azlan Shah Cup tournament on Nov 1.
“There are simply too many reasons why the players have to win the title and they are aware of it. But, equally important, it’s payback time!
“A victory here will be our way of showing gratitude and appreciation for all the support given to us by the Malaysian Hockey Confederation, National Sports Council, National Sports Institute, sponsors and our families and fans, whose tremendous backing has got us where we are today,” he said in a statement today.
Arul Selvaraj also reminded his players to work doubly hard as nothing will come easy in the final against the Koreans.
Meanwhile, Seok Kyo said as much as they want to defend the title, they are also aware that they will be facing a different Malaysian team in the final.
“This team is not the same team we beat in the opening match. They have been improving with each game and I believe their best has yet to come.
“Malaysia also have the home fans rooting for them, which will be a huge morale booster for them. We are just going to take the challenge in our stride and go about playing our normal game,” he said.
Malaysia finished second in the six-team standings with 10 points behind South Korea, who topped the round-robin fixtures with 13 points.
The Speedy Tigers have not won the Sultan Azlan Shah Cup since its inception in 1983 but have emerged as runners-up five times.
In the 2019 edition, Malaysia finished third after beating Canada 4-2 while South Korea edged India 4-2 in a penalty shootout to clinch the title after both teams were tied 1-1 in regulation time.
— Bernama
