KUALA LUMPUR – The national men’s hockey squad, dubbed the Speedy Tigers, ended their playing tour of South Korea on a high after scoring a 2-1 win over the home team at the Jingcheon National Training Centre in Incheon.
Though the Speedy Tigers managed only a slim victory, it was certainly a meaningful one, especially after registering two draws and a loss in their three previous meetings during the tour.
The first and third meetings between the two Asian powers on June 21 and June 25, ended in draws while the match on June 23, saw the Speedy Tigers go down to the South Korean side.
In today’s match, Muhammad Najib Abu Hassan was the toast of the Speedy Tigers when he broke the deadlock in the 28th minute through a field goal to bring the smiles back on coach A. Arul Selvaraj’s face but the home team managed to equalise in the 36th minute.
Undaunted by the equaliser, the Speedy Tigers continued to launch attack after attack in search of the winner, pinning the home side in their own half, for long spells.
It was from one of the raids that saw striker Shamie Irfan Suhaimi clip the heels of the South Koreans with yet another field goal in the 45th minute.
Arul, in a video clip shared by the Malaysian Hockey Confederation to media organisations, said he is satisfied with the performance of his boys in today’s match but admitted that there were areas that need to be improved or rectified.
“The four matches gave us some valuable information about the South Korean team because they played a fully committed game and we can learn some points and improve after the tour.
“We need more goals from penalty corners (after this), because I am happy with the strike rate from my players through field goals,” he said.
The Speedy Tigers started the tour on June 21 with a 2-2 draw but lost the second encounter 2-3 on June 23, while the third match on June 25, again ended in a 2-2 draw.
The tour was part of the national squad’s preparations for the Asia Champions Trophy tournament scheduled in Chennai, India from August 3 to 12. – Bernama, June 27, 2023
