Italy Stand In Way Of Malaysia And Semis Spot

In MAIN

Malaysia must beat Italy tomorrow at all costs to confirm their spot in the semi-finals after they drew 4-4 with China in a pulsating Group B match on the third day of the FIH Series Finals, Kuala Lumpur at the National Hockey Stadium, KL Sports City, Bukit Jalil today.

As things stand, Italy lead Group B with six points, followed by Malaysia with four and the hosts will need to pull out all stops against the Italians in their final group match if they hope to progress.

Seasoned campaigner Tengku Ahmad Tajuddin Tengku Abdul Jalil thought he had given the Speedy Tigers a vital win when he tapped in from close range three minutes from time only for the Malaysians to be pegged back by a Dong Yang penalty corner a minute from full time.

It was a dream start for Malaysia when in the fourth minute Fitri Saari deflected Captain Razie Rahim’s low drive into China’s goal to give the fans an early thrill. It was the midfielder’s second goal of the tournament after he also scored in Malaysia’s 6-0 drubbing of Brazil on Friday.

Forward Firhan Ashari was proving to be a handful for China’s defence throughout the match with his darting runs in the semi-circle and in the 34th minute he was rewarded when he lashed home a Norsyafiq Sumantri pass to make it 2-0.

Lin Changjiang reduced the deficit for China via a penalty corner in the 43rd minute and this was followed by another penalty conversion by Ao Weibao in the 51st  to level the score 2-2.

Keeping their cool, Malaysia regained the lead through a penalty corner strike by Tengku Ahmad Tajuddin in the 53rd minute, but the lead lasted only a minute before it was all square again when Du Talake’s low drive somehow found its mark after finding its way through a sea of defenders. The match swung from end to end with some close calls for both sides but finally ended on an even note 4-4.

“We were punished for our mistakes which resulted in China scoring four goals,” said Malaysia’s head coach Roelant Oltmans after the match.

He added: “Of course we will analyse our mistakes during training tomorrow and see where play can be improved for our match against Italy.”

In an earlier match World No 32 Italy, the lowest ranked team in the tournament, upset the form book when they outplayed World No 27 Brazil 3-0.

The Italians, who edged China 2-1 on Friday, continued their impressive showing in Bukit Jalil through a Julian Montone double (ninth and 36th minutes) and Mattia Amorosini in the 47th.  But what was most impressive was that all Italy’s goals were scored through field attempts.

Having booked their return tickets for an early flight home as they were not expected to go far, coach Roberto Da Gai’s team are now guaranteed a playoff spot on Wednesday and may even qualify automatically for the semis as group champions if they hold hosts Malaysia tomorrow.

“We are now targeting a top 6 finish. Before we came here, we were looking at a 7th to 8th finish but now we will have to extend our stay here,” he said.

Results (Day 3) – Group B: Brazil 0 Italy 3, China 4 Malaysia 4.

Recent Posts

Leave a Comment