INCHEON: Malaysia have fallen from grace in world hockey. So winning the bronze medal today is a good step towards establishing themselves as a force again.
National goalkeeper S. Kumar said the players must understand that being third in the Asian Games is not a complete failure.
He has called on his team-mates not to give up and ensure that they are at their best for the game against South Korea in the bronze medal playoff at the Seonhak Hockey Stadium today.
“There is pride at stake and we must also look beyond that. It is also to establish ourselves as a ranked team in Asia again. We were second four years ago, but we should not give up because we lost in the semi-finals.
“I want all the players to put their hearts and souls into the game and beat South Korea,” he said.
Malaysia lost the semi-finals to Pakistan after a penalty shootout on Tuesday. They drew 0-0 in regulation time and were beaten 6-5 in the sudden-death shootout.
Kumar said the players should be proud of their performances thus far.
“Frankly, we played very well against Pakistan. It’s a shame that we were beaten in the shootout. We have proved that the national team is not going downhill as claimed by some.
“We matched the best here and I am sure we can build from this performance,” he said.
Kumar said that he had hoped to help Malaysia book their 2016 Olympic place by winning the gold here.
“But that is not to be. We are now faced with the task of going through a qualifier. It will not be easy and there will be a lot of pitfalls along the way.
“But we must be ready for it. We have to get back into the Olympics and we know just what needs to be done.
“For now, let’s concentrate on the match at hand and then start thinking about the future,” he said.
At 34, Kumar wants to play in an Olympics before calling it quits.
“I will not be in the team forever. I’m sure there are others waiting in the ranks. I will continue to help the team as long as I can. I would like to play in the Olympics before I quit. I have not played in one yet,” he added.
Interim national coach A. Arulselvaraj said that he would get the players ready for the challenge against South Korea.
“We have one more match to go. It will always be difficult to get a team ready when they have gone through such a big disappointment. But I have faith in these players.
“They have been absolutely tremendous in this tournament. I’m very proud of them and the way they have responded to my coaching. We have a good team for the future,” he said.
In the final, Pakistan will take on India with an Olympic berth at stake. Only the gold medallists are guaranteed of a berth in the 2016 Rio de Janeiro Olympics.
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