KUALA LUMPUR, Dec 7 — Young Tigers squad head coach Muhamad Amin Rahim urged his players to demonstrate high discipline and speed when facing Australia in their final match of Group A in the 2023 Men’s Junior Hockey World Cup (JWC) at the National Hockey Stadium tomorrow.
Facing a do-or-die mission, with only a victory qualifying Malaysia for the quarterfinals, he said the team’s defence line must be resilient and avoid simple mistakes since Australia, the runners-up of the 2023 Sultan of Johor Cup (SOJC), is a fast-paced team.
Amin, a former national player, said that based on his experience leading his team to matches in Australia twice this year, the players have the skills to score field goals and always think one step ahead.
“We are aware that Australia is strong physically and plays a fast game, so our players need to be prepared for on-field reactions. In any situation, like during a free hit, players must act quickly, be alert for 60 minutes, and have a more disciplined defensive structure.
“Australian players are physically larger and robust, while our players are smaller but very agile and fast, so they need to use that advantage. We also need to ensure the execution of penalty corners goes well,” he told the press.
Malaysia started the campaign by beating Chile 7 – 1 in the first match on Tuesday (December 5) but suffered a 0 – 4 defeat to defending champions Argentina last night due to inconsistent performance and the failure to convert four penalty corners.
Australia, which narrowly lost 0 – 1 to Argentina, bounced back to beat Chile 7 – 1, but with a goal difference advantage, they share three points with Malaysia in the race for a quarterfinal spot, while Argentina has already secured a place in the quarterfinals with six points.
Commenting on penalty corner conversions, Amin said his players need to focus on the routine of taking these shots from the stopper to the scorer to ensure the advantage is converted into goals.
Asked about the frequency of Malaysian players experiencing cramps, he said it is due to dehydration, hoping that tomorrow’s match, scheduled for 2pm, will give his players a slight advantage.
However, the head-to-head record between the two teams is quite concerning, with Malaysia having only won twice, drawing three times, while Australia secured nine victories, including an 8 – 0 win in their last meeting at the SOJC last year.
Meanwhile, Australia coach Jay Stacy said his team would remain cautious against Malaysia, the eighth-ranked team in the world, who have the advantage of being the home team and have shown improvement recently.
“Malaysia is an improving young team; had a good match against Chile. They have some dynamic players, good speed, and skilful players, so we need to be at our best by adjusting and improving the movements.
“We have confidence that we can do well against all teams here based on our recent results; however, in JWC, it comes with a different feeling and pressure for the young boys.
“It is the biggest tournament of their career, while all teams came here to win the tournament and improve, so we want to be one of those teams improving as well,” he said.
— Bernama
