Giving his best: Malaysia’s Hassan Najib (left) in action against Japan’s Kimora Naru.
IPOH: The opportunities were there for the national hockey team to come out on top against Japan but the ball just couldn’t find the back of the net.
The Speedy Tigers missed out on the chance to defend their Sultan Azlan Shah Cup title after losing 2-1 to finalists Japan on Wednesday.
The result puts them in third place with six points, while Pakistan and Japan will meet in the final as both teams are on top with 10 points each.
There were a galore of chances for Malaysia to score goals in the second half of the match but head coach Sarjit Singh said no matter how hard they tried, the ball couldn’t get through Japan’s goalkeeper.
“We had enough chances to get a good result but it makes things difficult when you don’t score.
“We were right in front of Japan’s goalmouth in the last two quarters but it wasn’t our day because the ball just didn’t want to go in the goal,” he said.
Japan had deployed both their goalkeepers to alternate between quarters, which worked in their favour as both Takumi Kitagawa and Takashi Yoshikawa made vital stops to halt Malaysia’s title charge.
The Samurais drew first blood in the 24th minute through a tap-in goal by Kazumasa Matsumoto.
The Speedy Tigers managed to equalise in the second half after Faizal Saari shot from a tight angle just 30 seconds after the whistle.
In the fourth quarter, Taiki Takade gave Japan the lead in the 50th minute. In the last 10 minutes, Malaysia had four penalty corner opportunities that were denied by the Japanese defence and goalkeeper Yoshikawa, who was awarded man of the match.
Even a power play execution from Sarjit at the end failed to bring results as the team had to settle for a fixture in the third and fourth-placing match tomorrow where they most likely will play New Zealand who are in fourth place with six points.
However, Sarjit still commended the players for their commitment to fight back as their emotions were visible on the pitch after the defeat.
“Frustrations showed all over their faces after the loss. I understand their pain.
“You have to applaud them for their commitment, remarkable attitude, and character,” he said.
Sarjit urged his players to pick themselves up and put on a good performance in their final round-robin match today against South Korea, who are in fifth in the table while Canada are at the bottom without a win.
