Leading by example: Skipper Marhan and his players are gaining a reputation for their fighting qualities.
PETALING JAYA: The Speedy Tigers showed that they have the quality and the winning mentality during the Asia Cup in Jakarta.
But going all the way to win a championship requires something more and this factor was the difference between Malaysia and eventual champions South Korea in the hockey final at the Gelora Bung Karno Sports Complex on Wednesday.
The Koreans may be an ageing side but they had several senior players with plenty of experience, having featured in continental finals regularly.
They are the most successful side in the Asia Cup, winning five of the six finals they had contested and they have also made it to five Asian Games finals, winning four golds in the process.
Include the 2012 Asian Champions Trophy, and one can understand how competitive the Koreans are and it takes a special team to topple them.
Jang Jong-hyun, who earned his 300th cap in the final, was the nucleus of the team as he marshalled the defence with super efficiency and was ably supported by other senior members – captain Lee Seung-il (211 caps), goalkeeper Kim Jae-hyeon (163), Lee Nam-yong (285), Jeong Man-jae (158) and Lee Seong-hoon (147).
Jong-hyun, who was also named player of the tournament, played with such assurance that the Malaysians struggled to penetrate the defence and when they did, the keeper Jae-hyeon stood like a rock to deny the Tigers.
“We are one metre too far and one second too slow,” was the frank assessment of coach A. Arulselvaraj after Malaysia missed another chance to win a major trophy.
“Winning matches is good but we need to win championships.
“South Korea fully deserve victory with their effective counter attacks and they did well to stop us from scoring through penalty corners.
“So far, our players had done well preparing for all the matches. It was very pleasing to see them learning to analyse matches and preparing accordingly for each match.
“They were able to maintain their physical condition from game one to game seven in a tournament in 10 days. The Asian Games will also have seven games in 10 days.”
Malaysia, despite the defeat, can hold their heads high as they have now reached the finals of the last three continental tournaments – the 2017 and 2022 Asia Cups as well as the 2018 Asian Games – and this should augur well for the current team who are gaining a reputation for their fighting qualities under captain Marhan Jalil.
Penalty corner specialist Razie Rahim was in scorching form with 13 goals to become the top scorer where 11 came from penalty corners.
Malaysia will be able to compete, not only with the top Asian teams, but other powerhouses if they can start scoring through penalty corners.
Marhan has led the team by example while Faizal Saari is the other senior member who had been influential in Malaysia’s good run in Jakarta.
The objective of qualifying for the World Cup was achieved by reaching the super four stage and finishing runners-up, as they did in 2017, should give the Malaysians confidence ahead of the sport’s premier event in Bhubaneswar and Rourkela, India, from Jan 13-29.
Malaysia finished a poor 15th out of 16 teams at the same venue in 2018 but the current team of fighters raise hope of a better finish this time around.
