Malaysia’s impressive display of skill and determination fell short in the fourth quarter as Roelant Oltmans’ Pakistan overturned the deficit to register a come-from-behind 4-4 draw in the FIH Nations Cup Group B opening match in Gniezno, Poland.
The Speedy Tigers held a tight grip on the Green Shirts by grabbing a 4-1 lead in the 42nd minute, and then saw their dominance break away slowly, allowing Pakistan to roll back into the game with three goals in the remaining 18 minutes of the match.
Malaysia, ranked 13, and world No 16 Pakistan’s encounters are arguably the most anticipated and thrilling fixtures in hockey tournaments.
The Green Shirts have thus far won three of four contests against the Speedy Tigers in the last two years. In the recent Sultan Azlan Shah Cup, the Pakistanis also struggled for a come-from-behind 5-4 victory. The Malaysians will next play against World No 9 France on June 2.
“We played well enough to win the match but it ended in a draw,” said Malaysia’s head coach Sarjit Singh.
“The first two quarters were good but in the third and fourth quarters we were under pressure. We started to make mistakes and allowed Pakistan to come back for a draw.”
“The players’ commitment on the pitch was outstanding. We lost out on experience. We created enough chances to win this match but our finishing was poor. I’m happy with the players’ performance. We need to make less mistakes in the semi-circle and take our goals scoring chances,” he said, adding that the team will need to recover well and focus on the next match against France.
Sarjit entrusted No 2 goalkeeper Zaimi Mat Deris into action against Pakistan instead of first choice Hafizuddin Othman, and former national junior’s team captain and defender Muhamad Faris Harizan.
The action-packed encounter saw both teams probing for chances but it was the Speedy Tigers who roared the loudest by grabbing a 3-0 lead in the first quarter. Midfielder Fitri Saari slotted the ball past goalkeeper Ishtiaq Abdullah Khan’s from a fourth minute penalty stroke to put the Malaysians 1-0 ahead.
Forwards Azrai Aizad Abu Kamal followed up with a field goal to extend the lead to 2-0 in the seventh minute, while the Speedy Tigers’ most sensational goal poacher Faizal Saari converted an 11th minute penalty corner to push the score to 3-0 that stood till the end of the first quarter.
The Pakistanis were awarded five penalty corners in the first quarter but failed to capitalise on either of them, as Zaimi and the defenders produced some scintillating performances.
The match also saw forward Nur Rahull Hriskesa Thaitchana Muruthi, midfielder Syawal Abdul Razak and defender Muhammad Kamarulzaman Kamaruddin earn their first international caps.
Pakistan’s attempt to comeback in search of goals continued in the second quarter. They earned their sixth penalty corner of the match, while the Malaysians were rewarded with a third. Neither team managed to change the scoreline.
The excitement continued in the third quarter with a period of Pakistan’s dominance that kept the Malaysian defenders on their toes. The men in Green Shirts’ hard work bore fruit in the third quarter when Abdul Rehman sneaked the ball into goal from open play in the 32nd minute. Malaysia 3 Pakistan 1.
The Speedy Tigers then flipped the switch, taking the game to Pakistan. They earned a fourth penalty corner in the 38th minute with no result. But it wasn’t too long for the hard-running Fitri to score his second and Malaysia’s fourth goal in the 43rd minute from a penalty stroke. Malaysia 4 Pakistan 1.
But Pakistan earned a penalty corner in the next minute and Sufyan Khan nailed it to close the gap to 4-2.
In the last quarter, both teams were determined to score but 20-year-old Hannan Shahid came to Pakistan’s rescue in the 52nd minute to reduce the deficit to 4-3 from a field goal.
Pakistan pulverised the Malaysian defence with counter attacks and earned a penalty stroke in the last few seconds of regulation time. Abu Mahmood turned the Speedy Tigers hopes of a victory into ashes to level the score 4-4.
The Speedy Tigers story of losing comfortable leads continues, as Sarjit continues to try and address the perennial problem with the national team.
