IPOH: Malaysia were just seconds away from a perfect start to the Sultan Azlan Shah Cup before New Zealand struck late to snatch a 2-2 draw on Sunday (Nov 23).
The Speedy Tigers started brightly, going ahead in the 10th minute through a well-worked field goal by Shello Silverius.
Malaysia then extended their lead in the second quarter when they converted their first penalty corner opportunity thanks to in-house specialist Syed Syafiq Syed Mohd Cholan in the 22nd minute.
However, New Zealand captain Sam Lane closed the gap four minutes later when he scored a penalty stroke.
As rain continued to fall onto the pitch, Malaysia held their ground and denied the Kiwis’ attacks, but things fell through in the final minutes.
New Zealand’s Dylan Thomas salvaged a draw for his side when he scored the equaliser with just two minutes left on the clock.
Both teams walked away with a single point after the opening match, and will hope to get better results as only the top two teams in the six-team group advance to the final.
