THE national men’s hockey squad lost 2-4 to lower-ranked China in their second match of the 2024 Asian Champions Trophy (ACT) in Hulunbuir, Inner Mongolia today.
In the match played in Moqi, Malaysia’s goalmouth was breached as early as the ninth minute when China’s Gao Jiesheng scored from a penalty corner before Muhammad Azrai Aizad Abu Kamal equalised five minutes later.
China, ranked 23rd in the world compared to Malaysia’s 13th, continued to dominate with Jiesheng doubling the score in the third quarter of the match (32nd min) and Lin Changliang putting China further ahead eight minutes later with a field goal.
Stunned by the consecutive goals, Sarjit Singh’s men fought back, with sensational striker Faizal Saari scoring from a penalty corner in the 50th minute to reduce the deficit.
However, Malaysia’s comeback hope was dashed when Chao Jieming scored in the 56th minute to seal the match for China.
“This is not our desired result. There were some mistakes made by our players that allowed the opposing side to score field goals and PCs. We also failed to take advantage of some opportunities to score goals and were not clinical enough in the ‘D’ area.
“We have to take responsibility for failing to seize opportunities to score field goals and PCs. In terms of possession, yes, we played better, but it is goals that count in a match,“ said Sarjit in a statement issued by the Malaysian Hockey Confederation (MHC) tonight.
Sarjit said the coaching staff will ensure the players get enough rest before facing India in the third match on Wednesday (Sept 11) and strive to be in the top four of the round-robin competition.
In last year’s edition in Chennai, Speedy Tigers emerged as runners-up after losing 3-4 to India.
