Latest news with #SpeedyTigers
The Star
12 hours ago
- Sport
- The Star
Malaysia downs S. Africa 4-2, sets up 5th place playoff with Wales at Nations Cup
BUKIT JALIL: The national hockey team gave an improved performance at the Nations Cup after defeating South Africa 4-2 in the fifth to eighth classification match at the National Hockey Stadium on Friday (June 20). The Speedy Tigers, out of the semi-finals, made sure to not let a fifth place finish slip away. Syed Mohd Syafiq Syed Cholan gave the hosts the lead in the 15th minute through a penalty corner. But South Africa did not ease up as Angelo Walstroom equalised in the 30th minute. In the third quarter, Malaysia had the lead once again when Shafiq Hassan scored a field goal in the 37th minute, and the lead was doubled by Akhimullah Anuar Esook three minutes later. South Africa tried to catch up and managed to decrease the gap by one goal when Carlon Mentoor scored in the 51st minute through a penalty corner. But this was not enough to stop Malaysia from taking the win, sealed when Fitri Saari scored in the 53rd minute for the fourth goal. The Speedy Tigers will now take on Wales for fifth spot on Saturday (June 21).
New Straits Times
12 hours ago
- Sport
- New Straits Times
Speedy Tigers tame South Africa to book a date with Wales
KUALA LUMPUR: The national team held off a spirited South African side to record a 4-2 win in a Nations Cup classification match at the National Hockey Stadium in Bukit Jalil on Friday. The victory over world No 11 South Africa is a timely morale boost for world No 14 Malaysia, who missed out on a place in the semi-finals. It was also Malaysia's first win over the African champions since the 1996 Atlanta Olympics. The Speedy Tigers will now face world No 15 Wales, who edged Japan 6-4, in the fifth-sixth place playoff. Malaysia's goals came via Syed Syafiq Syed Cholan (15th minute), Syafiq Hassan (37th), Akhimullah Anuar Esook (40th) and Fitri Saari (53rd). South Africa replied through Angelo Walstroom (30th) and Carlon Mentoor (51st). In the earlier match, debutants Wales netted six goals through Fred Newbold (ninth), Jolyon Morgan (21st, 34th, 45th), Sam Welsh (34th) and Gareth Furlong (59th). Japan's scorers were Ryoma Ooka (20th), Koji Yamasaki (30th), Kazumasa Matsumoto (32nd) and Kosei Kawabe (60th). National coach Sarjit Singh admitted Malaysia were shaky in the first two quarters against South Africa. "Although we won, it wasn't a good performance compared to our first three matches. The only difference is that we took our chances and scored four goals. "But overall, we made too many errors," said Sarjit, a former national captain. Looking ahead, Sarjit hopes his players will regroup and deliver a stronger performance against Wales on Saturday. "Wales have been improving with every match and will pose a strong challenge. But I want my players to refocus and win that fifth place," he added.
New Straits Times
a day ago
- Sport
- New Straits Times
Speedy Tigers going through 'slow motion' again
KUALA LUMPUR: National men's hockey coach Sarjit Singh surely can't expect a "well done" rating in his Key Performance Index (KPI) after Malaysia's dismal show in the ongoing Nations Cup at Bukit Jalil. He has failed to get the Speedy Tigers up to speed since taking over the team in March last year. The former national captain, whose contract with the Malaysia Hockey Confederation (MHC) is until the 2026 Asian Games, has offered many reasons for his underperforming team. Sarjit said that he needs more time to build a team. But it has already been 15 months since he took charge of the Speedy Tigers. And Sarjit himself set the semi-final target for the Nations Cup, one which his men couldn't meet. Yet, after 15 months in charge of the national team, Sarjit said that his team still have a long way to go. "We have to be much better in our fitness. Japan and China are not good teams but their fitness is three times better. So if we improve our fitness three times, I think our team will be in the right direction," he said. Hosts Malaysia, powered by seven players with more than 100 caps, failed to advance to the last four from Group B, and were reduced to playing in the fifth to eighth classification. World No 13 Malaysia drew 3-3 with world No. 15 Pakistan and lost 4-3 to world No. 12 New Zealand before beating world No. 17 Japan in Group B. But this was not enough as Pakistan pipped Malaysia for a place in the semi-finals as Group B runners-up. These are the 18 best players we have in the country and they kept making the same mistakes of conceding goals due to poor focus. The standards and rankings of the eight teams competing in Nations Cup is close to one another, but yet the Speedy Tigers stumbled in their backyard. MHC president Datuk Seri Subahan Kamal said he had given everything to the national players, and he was hoping they could match the other teams in the Nations Cup. But sadly, it turned out to be another letdown. Sarjit's first national assignment was the Sultan Azlan Shah Cup last May where Malaysia finished fourth out of six teams. He set a semi-final target for the Nations Cup in Poland last June, but Malaysia finished seventh among nine teams. And Malaysia's target for the Asian Champions Trophy in Inner Mongolia, China last September was top four, but the Speedy Tigers finished sixth and last. Sarjit also keeps saying "we are getting better" after failing to achieve the targets set by him. Hopefully, he is right. After missing the semi-finals, Sarjit now said that Malaysia's next target is fifth in the Nations Cup. That's a lower target but it seems tough too.
The Sun
2 days ago
- Sport
- The Sun
Sarjit: Malaysia Hockey Team Still Behind in Fitness
KUALA LUMPUR: National men's hockey head coach Sarjit Singh admits that his players' fitness levels are still well below the standard required to match top Asian sides like South Korea, Japan, and China. While the Speedy Tigers have shown steady improvement from match to match, Sarjit emphasised that his squad is still on a 'long journey' toward reaching their peak. 'It's still a long way because our fitness needs to be much, much better. It's good, but not good enough. Teams like South Korea, Japan, and China aren't just strong sides; their fitness levels are about three times higher than ours,' he said. 'If we can match that, I know our team will be heading in the right direction. Like I've said before, we need that experience. It's very important. The more matches these players get, the better they'll become,' he told reporters at the National Hockey Stadium in Bukit Jalil last night. Malaysia's hopes of reaching the semi-finals of the 2024–25 Men's FIH Hockey Nations Cup were dashed despite their 2–1 win over Japan. Asked when the team realised there were still gaps in fitness, Sarjit said the issue had been identified early on, which is why the squad travelled to South Korea earlier this year to sharpen their game and gain valuable experience. With a semi-final berth no longer in sight, Sarjit is now fully focused on guiding his team to a fifth-place finish and hopes fans will continue to rally behind the Speedy Tigers. 'That's why I regrouped the boys quickly, to get the focus back. We're now fully locked in on finishing fifth. We must get that fifth spot. 'We can't afford to be playing for seventh or eighth, that's not an option. South Africa will be tough, but if they play the way they've been playing, I don't see why we can't beat them,' he told reporters. Meanwhile, defender Syed Mohd Syafiq Syed Cholan echoed his coach's sentiments, saying the team must now shift its attention to rebuilding its world ranking, which has recently slipped two spots to 15th. 'We want to push our ranking into the top 11 or 12. We don't want to slip any further. Since the semi-final target is no longer in reach, we're now fully focused on improving our world ranking. 'We know South Africa is ranked higher than us, so we have to beat them to collect those valuable ranking points,' he said. Malaysia is set to play in the 5th–8th classification match and will take on South Africa this Friday. The Speedy Tigers are determined to improve on their seventh-place finish at the 2023/2024 edition in Poland and end this campaign on a stronger note.
The Sun
2 days ago
- Sport
- The Sun
Fitness still a work in progress for speedy Tigers
KUALA LUMPUR: National men's hockey head coach Sarjit Singh admits that his players' fitness levels are still well below the standard required to match top Asian sides like South Korea, Japan, and China. While the Speedy Tigers have shown steady improvement from match to match, Sarjit emphasised that his squad is still on a 'long journey' toward reaching their peak. 'It's still a long way because our fitness needs to be much, much better. It's good, but not good enough. Teams like South Korea, Japan, and China aren't just strong sides; their fitness levels are about three times higher than ours,' he said. 'If we can match that, I know our team will be heading in the right direction. Like I've said before, we need that experience. It's very important. The more matches these players get, the better they'll become,' he told reporters at the National Hockey Stadium in Bukit Jalil last night. Malaysia's hopes of reaching the semi-finals of the 2024–25 Men's FIH Hockey Nations Cup were dashed despite their 2–1 win over Japan. Asked when the team realised there were still gaps in fitness, Sarjit said the issue had been identified early on, which is why the squad travelled to South Korea earlier this year to sharpen their game and gain valuable experience. With a semi-final berth no longer in sight, Sarjit is now fully focused on guiding his team to a fifth-place finish and hopes fans will continue to rally behind the Speedy Tigers. 'That's why I regrouped the boys quickly, to get the focus back. We're now fully locked in on finishing fifth. We must get that fifth spot. 'We can't afford to be playing for seventh or eighth, that's not an option. South Africa will be tough, but if they play the way they've been playing, I don't see why we can't beat them,' he told reporters. Meanwhile, defender Syed Mohd Syafiq Syed Cholan echoed his coach's sentiments, saying the team must now shift its attention to rebuilding its world ranking, which has recently slipped two spots to 15th. 'We want to push our ranking into the top 11 or 12. We don't want to slip any further. Since the semi-final target is no longer in reach, we're now fully focused on improving our world ranking. 'We know South Africa is ranked higher than us, so we have to beat them to collect those valuable ranking points,' he said. Malaysia is set to play in the 5th–8th classification match and will take on South Africa this Friday. The Speedy Tigers are determined to improve on their seventh-place finish at the 2023/2024 edition in Poland and end this campaign on a stronger note.
