Malaysia and Japan played to a 2-2 draw in the 8th Men’s Junior Asia Cup at the Wisma Belia Hockey Stadium yesterday.
The hosts and defending champions, however, maintained their second position in Group A and go into Thursday’s quarterfinals showdown with Korea while the Japanese will face Bangladesh.
Azwan Rahman’s 15th minute field goal brought an estimated 3,000 fans overwhelmed with joy but this was short-lived after Miyu Tanimitsu converted a penalty corner in the 46th minute. Haziq Mohammad Samsul made it 2-1 for Malaysia (66th, FG) but Shota Yamada scored the equaliser in the 69th minute.