PHNOM PENH – It will be all or nothing for Indonesia’s women’s indoor hockey squad in their final group tie against reigning champion Malaysia at the 2023 SEA Games tomorrow.
Indonesian team coach Muhammad Dharma Raj Abdullah said three points are all that matters most for his side in their quest to bag maiden gold in the event at the biennial Games.
He said Indonesia’s fate is very much hanging in the balance following a heartbreak 2-3 loss against the 2017 champion, Thailand, yesterday in a thrilling clash at the Dinosaur Park Hall, Chroy Changvar, here.
“I look at it as two lives, if we lost the first one (against Thailand) we have the second one against Malaysia. Malaysia only needs a draw to go to the final, so we need to beat them,” he said when met, here.
While admitting that Malaysia is too strong in both field hockey categories, he said it is important for his girls to upset Malaysia’s women’s indoor squad, who are under the tutelage of Mohd Badrul Hisham Osman.
Dharma Raj, who was appointed as the Indonesia national team's technical director in 2021, is no stranger to Malaysia as he guided them to clinch gold in the 2019 SEA Games after defeating Thailand 2-0 in the penalty shoot-out.
After four matches, Thailand now topped the group by virtue of better goal difference although they are on 10 points together with Malaysia, followed by Indonesia in third place with nine points while Singapore came in fourth (three points), Cambodia in fifth (three points) and the Philippines are bottom without any points.
The indoor hockey tournament is being played in a round-robin format, with the top two advancing to the gold medal playoff while the third- and fourth-placed teams will share the bronze medal.
At the 2022 Asia Cup Indoor Hockey Championship in Bangkok, Thailand, Indonesia ousted Malaysia 1-0 in the semi-finals before winning the bronze medal by beating Kazakhstan 2-0 in the third and fourth-place decider. – Bernama, May 5, 2023
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