KUALA LUMPUR – National coach Arul Selvaraj called Malaysia’s defeat in the crossover match against Spain last night at the Hockey World Cup held in Bhubaneswar, India a “loss with great dignity”.
Both teams were tied at 2-2 in regulation time, but Malaysia went down in the sudden-death penalty shoot-out, 3-4.
Despite their disappointment at not advancing to the quarterfinal, Arul hoped his charges would hold their heads up high as he believed they had done their best.
“Of course, we are disappointed because we lost in the penalty shoot-out, but our players put on a good fight. They lost with great dignity,” he said in a video interview late last night.
“When we were behind by one goal to Spain, we pressed on and finally managed to tie the score 2-2.
“The way our players fought on the field is something to be proud of.”
The Speedy Tigers’ mission is not over yet as they have to play for the 9th-16th classification matches, starting with South Africa on Thursday.
“Tomorrow (today) is a new day and we need to put our focus next on facing South Africa on January 26.”
Arul said he hoped that the nation would not stop giving their full support for the team, which would motivate them to end the World Cup in good spirits. – The Vibes, January 23, 2023
