PETALING JAYA: Selangor, coached by former international Tengku Ahmad Tajuddin Tengku Abdul Jalil, secured a crucial 3-0 win over Melaka to virtually clinch their place in the semi-finals of the national Under-16 hockey championships at the National Hockey Stadium in Bukit Jalil yesterday.
The Group B match saw Selangor scoring through field goals from Mohd Syazwan Syamsul in the 27th and 30th minutes while Zulhaikal Anuar scored via a last-minute penalty corner to complete the convincing victory.
Selangor have now won all four of their matches to top the standings with 12 points while Melaka (seven) are third behind Johor (nine).
However, Melaka, who are in pole position in the girls’ category, claimed a last-four spot as they defeated Sabah 3-0 to lead Group B with 12 points.
However, the win did not come easy as Sabah defended stoutly before allowing Melaka to run away with three points in the last six minutes of the match.
Nur Shafika Sharuddin broke Sabah’s resilience in the 54th minute by scoring through a penalty corner while Nur Fikriyah Aqilah Effendy scored a double in the 57th and 59th minutes.
In Group A, defending champions Penang edged Pahang 1-0 to stay in second position behind high-riding Negri Sembilan on goal difference.
Both teams have 12 points but Negri are ahead after having scored a massive 39 goals while Penang have netted 28 times in four matches.
