KUALA LUMPUR: The national men’s hockey team went down 4-0 to South Korea to end up fourth in the Nations Cup 2022 at the NWU Astro Stadium in Potchefstroom, South Africa yesterday.
South Korea shot into a 2-0 lead in the second quarter with field goals by Seo Inwoo in the 22nd minute and Lee Namyong three minutes later.
South Korea, who defeated Malaysia 1-0 in their opening Group B match on Monday (Nov 28), added two more goals - both from penalty corners - through Hwang Taeil in the 39th minute and Jang Jonghyun in the 59th minute.
The win allowed South Korea to make amends for their 3-2 loss to Malaysia in the final of the Sultan Azlan Shah Cup recently.
In the Nations Cup, the Speedy Tigers, who are coached by A. Arul Selvaraj, had defeated Canada 1-0 and Japan 5-1 in their remaining Group B matches but lost 3-0 to Ireland in yesterday’s semi-final.
Arul Selvaraj attributed their defeat by South Korea to the absence of seven first-team players, adding that he was pleased with Malaysia’s fourth placing.
“Although we lost, the players did their best. However, we can see our shortcomings in terms of our players’ body strength and leg power... of course, we also did not have enough players to make substitutions.
“We were also clearly affected by the fact that we had to field two or three new faces after we lost our seven core players. That made it difficult for us to maintain our performance level.
“But, overall, it was good for the new players to get some playing time,” he said in a video clip the Malaysian Hockey Confederation (MHC) shared with the media.
Arul Selvaraj said that he would give his players a week’s rest once they get back before beginning their final preparations for the 2023 FIH World Cup, which will be held in Bhubaneswar and Roukely in India from Jan 13-29. - Bernama
