MALAYSIA’S task to qualify for the semi-finals of the 2024 Asian Champions Trophy (ACT) hockey tournament has become more daunting after suffering a humiliating 8-1 hammering from India in Hulunbuir, Inner Mongolia, China today.
Having drawn 2-2 with Pakistan on Monday (Sept 9) and lost 4-2 to China on Tuesday (Sept 10), the Speedy Tigers are rooted to the bottom of the six-team standings with one point and must beat Japan and South Korea in the round-robin format if they are to realise their semi-final target.
Raj Kumar Pal was in inspirational form as he notched a hat-trick with field goals in the third, 25th and 33rd minutes while Araijeet Singh helped himself to a brace of field goals in the sixth and 39th minutes as Jugraj Singh (seventh minute), Harmanpreet Singh (22nd minute) and Uttam Singh (40th minute) chipped in with one apiece.
Mohamad Akhimullah Anuar Esook scored a consolation goal for Malaysia in the 34th minute.
“We did not start well... conceded three easy goals in a brief period. Our players gave the opponents too much respect and lost their confidence. Once we went 3-0 down, the players’ morale plummeted too. Our defensive structure crumbled as well.
“India were much better in every aspect and our team’s performance was disappointing. Not easy to be in this situation. The coaches and players must share the responsibility to bounce back (against Japan) tomorrow,” said Speedy Tigers head coach Sarjit Singh in a statement issued by the Malaysian Hockey Confederation (MHC) today.
India, coached by Craig Fulton, top the six-team standings with nine points from three matches, followed by Pakistan (five points from three matches); China (three points, two matches); South Korea (two points, two matches); Japan (one point, three matches) and Malaysia (one point, three matches).
