Terengganu and Johor weaved their way into the final of the 62nd edition of the Men’s Tun Abdul Razak Cup at the Johor Hockey Stadium, Taman Daya, in Johor Bahru.
The hosts triumphed 3-2 over Perak in the first semifinal match today while Terengganu came back from a one-goal deficit to pull through for a 4-3 win.
Pahang started off well with a Tengku Nasrul Ikmal sixth minute penalty corner conversion to go 1-0 ahead. Terengganu, however, continued to look dangerous and equalised in the eighth minute through Akhimullah Anuar Esook to level at 1-1.
The match turned into high drama in the second, third and fourth quarters. Both teams were levelled 2-2 in the 30th minute with goals from Faizal Saari while Muhammad Syawal Abdul Razak restored for Pahang off a penalty stroke seconds before the end of the first half.
Pahang then went 3-2 ahead in the 39th minute via a Muhammad Arif Shafie penalty corner goal but it was Terengganu who celebrated at the final buzzer with strikes from Faizal (52nd) and Akhimullah (57th) to pull away a 4-3 victory.
A team that has added more spice to an event that has proved never short of excitement in six decades, Perak arrived in the tournament as the 2022 champions and determined to claim a 14th championship title since the inaugural tournament in 1963.
However, their aspirations fell short as they wobbled to chase a 0-2 deficit in the first half.
Johor took advantage of a quick counter-attack in the sixth minute to go 1-0 up, courtesy of Muhammad Faris Ros Fadillah’s field goal, and Krishanraj Singh Gill converted a penalty corner in the 29th minute to put Johor 2-0 ahead.
Abdul Hanzah Yahkip then took the game away from Perak via a field goal that kept the hosts in a comfortable 3-0 lead with seven minutes to the end of regulation time.
But it was just not enough to stop Perak. They bounced back with a penalty corner and penalty stroke goals through Syed Mohamad Syafiq Syed Cholan (56th) and Muhamad Azrai Aizad respectively but Johor went on to celebrate a 3-2 win and straight to tomorrow’s final.
Tomorrow’s final certainly promises to be another exciting game on the cards as both Johor and Terengganu battle for honours, while Perak and Pahang fight for the third spot in an earlier match.