KUALA LUMPUR: The National hockey squad continued their perfect start in the Men’s Hockey Champions Challenge 1 in Quilmes, Argentina by overcoming world number seven South Korea 4-2 in their second Pool A match on Sunday.
Paul Revington boys’ made a perfect start by whipping Poland 4-0 in the opening match on Saturday.
In the clash of Asian representatives in the challenge, the Korean side took the lead through their penalty corner specialist, Jang Jong Hyun in the 8th minute but Malaysia equalised in the 18th minute through a penalty corner strike from Muhammad Razie Abd Rahim.
Tengku Ahmad Tajuddin Tengku Abdul Jalil then took centre stage with two quick goals in the 30th and 31st minute while seasoned campaigner Chua Boon Huat put Malaysia in a comfortable position for a semifinal berth with the fourth goal in the 48th minute.
The Korean side coached by Shin Seok Kyo reduced the deficit through Jang Jong Hyun in the 61st minute but it was to late for them to stop Malaysia from registering a second win in the tournament.
Commenting on their performance against the Korean side, Tengku Ahmad Tajuddin said they played well for most part of the match but struggled a little towards the end of the second half.
“The result aside we are not satisfied with our performance. There are many things to improve for the next match,” he was quoted on the tournament website www.fih.ch. As for Revington, he was pleased with the win, hoping that his boys would continue their winning momentum throughout the tournament, especially against Canada on Tuesday.
“The players are maybe disappointed in the last 10 minutes of the match, but I am pleased and proud of them for how they performed in the last 2 games.
We are making improvements day by day,” he said.
The win saw Malaysia top Pool A with six points while the Koreans are second with three points followed by Canada and Poland who have a point each after playing to a 3-3 draw in another Pool A match.
Meanwhile, in Pool B matches, host Argentina who are two-time champions, recorded their second win after defeating South Africa 2-1 while Japan beat Ireland, 3-0. — Bernama