Federal Territory advanced to the last four of the 2024 Malaysia Games men’s hockey tournament following a 3-2 victory over Johor in the quarterfinals at the Padungan Hockey Stadium in Sarawak today.
The city boys, who last won the men’s division title in 2002, came back from two goals down to claim victory for a semi-final showdown against Perak on Thursday (Aug 22).
Perak defeated Sabah 5-0, while in other quarterfinal matches defending champion Pahang trounced Perlis 9-1 and Terengganu down Malacca 1-0.
As for Federal Territory coach Eugene Lee, he is on a mission to achieve an unfulfilled dream of winning the title 24 years ago.
Back in 2000, Eugene served as coach of Federal Territory that qualified for the final but lost to Selangor 1-0. Now, in a twist of fate, Eugene finds himself in a similar role as coach.
“Today’s match against Johor was the best we have played in the Games. It was exciting and nervy too. I am glad we made it to the semifinals,” said an elated Eugene.
“When I was coach in 2000 Federal Territory lost in the final.
“We will face a tough match against Perak, and our mission remains solid, and that is to continue the momentum and qualify for the final,” he added.
“We are one match away from making it to the final. We respect Perak as they are a strong team, and I expect them to come strongly at us,” he added.
Perak coach Mohd Nizam Mohd Hashim said his players have been showing progressive performance in every match and he is hopeful of the silver state qualifying for the final.
“Federal Territory are the favourites here based on their achievement as champions at the 2023 Razak Cup. However, I am convinced Perak has the chemistry to win against Federal Territory,” said Mohd Nizam, adding that the presence of 2023 Junior World Cup goalkeeper Mohamad Rafaizul Mohamad Saini in the team has strengthened the defence line.
Meanwhile, Pahang coach, Mohd Sufian Mohamad, said the team is mentally ready for the challenge ahead against Terengganu in the semifinals.
“We had a good rest day on Monday and also took the opportunity to work on our penalty corner conversion and other areas. I am excited with the players performance against Perlis and we hope to maintain the same kind of performance in the semifinals,” said Mohd Sufian.
“I am also confident we are heading on the right track in our mission to defend the title. I have told the players to focus on one game at a time. There is no pressure against Terengganu The semifinals are always a different ball game and we will plan a new strategy to counter our opponent,” he added.
