MALAYSIA advanced to the fifth-sixth placing match of the FIH Hockey Men’s Nations Cup 2025 Championship after defeating South Africa 4-2 in a high-intensity match at the National Hockey Stadium, Bukit Jalil today.
In the fifth-to-eighth place classification match, Sarjit Singh-led squad opened the score through a penalty corner by Syed Mohd Syafiq Syed Cholan in the 15th minute.
South Africa then equalised through a goal by Angelo Walstroom in the 30th minute, but seven minutes later, national defender Shafiq Hassan restored the lead through a field goal assisted by Muhammad Azrai Aizad Abu Kamal.
Akhimullah Anuar Esook added a third goal in the 40th minute after completing a beautiful move by Norsyafiq Sumantri.
Although Carlon Mentoor managed to close the gap for South Africa through a penalty corner in the 51st minute, Malaysia finally secured a clear victory when experienced player Mohammad Fitri netted a field goal two minutes later.
Malaysia will next face Wales who defeated Japan 6-4 in another classification match today.
In the match, Jolyon Morgan stood out as the top scorer after garnering a hat-trick through field goals in the 21st, 34th and 45th minutes while Fred Newbold (ninth minute), Sam Welsh (34’) and Gareth Furlong (59’) also contributed goals for Wales.
Japan, on the other hand, scored four goals through Ryoma Ooka (20’), Koji Yamasaki (30’), Kazumasa Matsumoto (32’) and Kosei Kawabe (60’) but failed to match their opponents’ advantage.
Meanwhile, Malaysia’s head coach, Sarjit admitted that his team’s play was a bit shaky despite defeating South Africa.
“I think the performance in the first half was a bit shaky. But as the game went on, actions were even on both sides, but we took our chances better. We got three big points. I think credit goes to the boys, after the setback in the last one when we did not qualify due to goal difference.
“Yes, Wales is getting better and better. They have three or four players from Great Britain. It’s a good team. They have few good players. But as I told you, our target was the semi-finals. Since we did not qualify for the semi-finals, we need to get the fifth spot. The fifth spot is very important,“ he said.
