MALAYSIA’s hopes of starting strong as hosts of the 2025 FIH Nations Cup hockey tournament were dashed after being held to a 3-3 draw against Pakistan at the National Hockey Stadium in Bukit Jalil tonight.
The result in their opening Group B match saw Sarjit Singh’s men pick up a point, placing Malaysia second in the group behind New Zealand, who lead with three points.
Pakistan are third, while Japan sit at the bottom with no points following their 1-2 loss to New Zealand.
The Green Shirts dominated the first half of the match, going 2-0 up through a field goal by Ahmad Nadeem in the sixth minute and a penalty corner conversion by Abdul Rehman three minutes later.
However, the Speedy Tigers mounted a comeback in the final quarter, narrowing the gap with a field goal by Fitri Saari in the 49th minute, followed by an equaliser from Syed Mohd Syafiq Syed Cholan in the 52nd.
Pakistan reclaimed the lead through Waheed Ashraf Rana in the 54th minute, but Syed Mohd Syafiq salvaged national pride with another goal just two minutes later to level the score.
Malaysia are scheduled to face defending champions New Zealand in their second Group B match tomorrow.
Meanwhile, commenting on the match, Sarjit said he was still satisfied with his players’ performance, particularly their late comeback.
“It was a very nervous start. We can’t blame the players either because the game was delayed from 8.00 pm to 8.40, then to 9.20. Maybe that contributed to the nervous start.
“As a coach, what else can you ask for? Very good comeback — from 2-0 down, we came back to 2-2. Then we were 3-2 down again, and we came back to 3-3. We even had a last chance to make it 4-3, but that’s part of the game,” he said.
Meanwhile, Speedy Tigers captain Muhammad Marhan Mohd Jalil said the space given to the opposition cost them, but they managed to recover in the second half.
“Respect is important in a match, but we must still show our capability on the field,” he said.
Fitri, meanwhile, reminded the players to strengthen their mental fortitude and cut down on mistakes ahead of tomorrow’s clash against 12th-ranked New Zealand.
