Skip to main content

Not up to the challenge


MALAYSIA were soundly beaten 3-1 by South Korea in a Group B hockey match of the Champions Challenge I in Kuantan yesterday.

    After a break today, they play Canada next and it will not be an easy match as yesterday, the Canadians beat France 3-2. Malaysia had lost to France on Friday by the same margin.

   However, the tournament format will see all eight teams from Group A and Group B play in the quarter-finals, and Malaysia might just draw the short straw and play against raging favourites New Zealand in the cross-over if they end at the bottom of the pool.

   Coach K. Dharmaraj's men went looking for an early lead but found the going tough as the forward-line lacked direction in the first 10 minutes of the match.

   However, 12 minutes into the match, Malaysian won their first penalty corner and Ahmad Kazamirul sailed it over the bar.

    The Koreans soaked in the pressure and relied on counters, and finally won their first penalty corner in the 18th minute and Nam Hyun Woo made it count with a low push to the board for the lead.

   Malaysia had two more penalty corners to draw level, but Shahril Saabah's drive hit the post and rebounded out in the 21st, while Kazamirul's attempt in the 32nd minute was saved by goalkeeper Lee Myung Ho.

   Two minutes into the re-start, You Hyo Sik made it 2-0 with a reverse stick drive which went between the legs of goalkeeper S. Kumar.

    And by the 50th minute, South Korea completed the rout with another penalty corner goal from Jang Jong Hyun. Ismail Abu scored the consolation in the 67th minute for Malaysia.


South Korea’s Jang Jong Hyun (third from left) celebrates his goal against Malaysia in their Champions Challenge 1 match in Kuantan yesterday. Bernama pic

By JUGJET SINGH | jugjet@nst.com.my  Read more: HOCKEY: Not up to the challenge - Other - New Straits Times

Comments

Popular posts from this blog

Malaysian junior athletes are just too ‘lembik’

Saya setuju. We are working on more coaches! “ @ManOlimpik : Malaysian junior athletes are just too ‘lembik’ http://t.co/7D7wmHWaNy ” — Khairy Jamaluddin (@Khairykj) June 10, 2014 The benchmark. Can our junior athletes train as hard as Malaysia's world No.1 badminton player, Lee Chong Wei? “IT IS okay lah. The training is not too bad lah. I will try lah … Wah, so hard lah today.” These are some of the common statements I hear from our juniors nowadays. It is not only in badminton. It is the easy-going, laid-back attitude and lack of competitiveness at grassroots level that we have problems producing quality players. I have travelled quite a bit. After ending my decade-long career with the national team, I went to play in the league in Europe. It’s different there. The European athletes know what they want. And they do it with real focus. Even the young ones possess admirable self-control and show a high level of commitment. During my time in the ...

Organising Major Sports Events Can Inspire Sports Culture Among The People - Khairy

PUTRAJAYA, June 5 (Bernama) -- Organising major sports events can help inspire sports culture among the people and ensure a healthy lifestyle said Youth and Sports Minister Khairy Jamaluddin. Khairy said the Tour of Malaysia cycling race organised since 1963, for example, can encourage more people to take the sport in a more competitive way or just for recreation purposes. "A study carried out by a world renown medical journal, The Lancet, revealed that 61 percent of adults in Malaysia do not engage themselves in active sports. "A study by the Health Ministry revealed that only 25 percent of Malaysians exercise," he said in his speech when launching the 2013 Tour of Malaysia (Jelajah Malaysia) at the Youth and Sports Ministry, here, Wednesday. "Cycling, though not as popular here as in countries like Denmark, the activity is becoming popular among the people as can be seen through an increase in sale of bicycles for recreation," he sa...

Sports press clippings on the 24 April 2008

Sports Minister Datuk Ismail Sabri Yaakob (centre) speaks to athletes after giving away the Olympic qualifying incentives in Putrajaya yesterday. — Pic: RAMDZAN MASIAM Thomas Cup Equally Important, Says Ismail PUTRAJAYA, April 23 (Bernama) -- Although Malaysia want badly a badminton gold at the Beijing Olympics in August, winning the Thomas Cup in Jakarta in May is equally important, said Youth and Sports Minister Datuk Ismail Sabri Yaakob. "My ministry deems all events participated by the national badminton squad as important including the Thomas Cup, which Malaysia last won in 1992. "Statements made that the Beijing Olympics takes precedence over other events is not the position of the ministry," he told reporters at his office here today. Ismail said no matter what events Malaysians competed, seeking glory for the nation should be the overriding priority. He said this when asked to comment on remarks by national badminton chief coach Yap Kim Hock on...