Malaysia hangs on to early goal to defeat Pakistan

Malaysia rode on captain Razie Rahim’s fourth-minute penalty corner conversion to post its first win over Pakistan in three years. Meanwhile, world champion Australia extended its winning spree to five successive matches as it prevailed 3-1 over Japan.

Published : Apr 13, 2016 21:01 IST , Ipoh (Malaysia)

Pakistan squandered half a dozen chances and lost to host Malaysia on Wednesday.
Pakistan squandered half a dozen chances and lost to host Malaysia on Wednesday.
lightbox-info

Pakistan squandered half a dozen chances and lost to host Malaysia on Wednesday.

Malaysia posted its first win over Pakistan in three years when it hung on to an early lead to emerge 1-0 victorious in a league fixture of the 25th Sultan Azlan Shah Cup here today.

Malaysia rode on captain Razie Rahim’s fourth-minute penalty corner conversion to register its first victory against Pakistan since its 3—1 win in the World League Semifinals at Johar Baharu (Malaysia).

That victory in the World League play-offs clinched Malaysia’s qualification for the 2014 World Cup at the expense of four-time champions Pakistan, which missed its last chance to qualify and failed to make the elite tournament for the first time since its inception.

Malaysia’s victory took it to eight points from five fixtures and kept alive its chances to clinch a medal , although yesterday’s 2-2 draw against Canada virtually spiked its hopes of qualifying for the final.

The nippy Malaysians outpaced Pakistan, but occasionally invited trouble upon themselves. Overlapping quickly, they left plenty of gaps that provided Pakistan a leeway into the Malaysian circle.

Malaysia’s defence hung on dearly to the lead even as Pakistan squandered half a dozen chances in the last quarter. Laying siege on the Malaysian circle in the last 10 minutes, Pakistan could have benefitted from a few defensive errors, but the home team managed to weather out the storm.

Skipper Rahim’s mistake in clearing the ball from inside the circle in the 51st minute could have cost Malaysia dear, but he made a desperate lunge to defend and suffered a painful blow on his hand.

Down to 10 players when Izad Jamaluddin was sent off for a deliberate foul , Malaysia should have tried to slow down the game, but it chose to go out looking for another goal and seemed to have played into Pakistan’s hands. Pakistan, however, failed to capitalise on the chances it created.

After five matches, Pakistan has just three points from their victory over Canada. Meanwhile, world champion Australia extended its winning spree to five successive matches as it prevailed 3-1 over Japan.

Not playing full-press, Australia scored through Jamie Dwyer (17th and 36th minutes) and Blake Govers, but Japan shot back to reduce the margin through a penalty corner conversion by Kentro Fukuda (37th minute).

Sign in to unlock all user benefits
  • Get notified on top games and events
  • Save stories to read later
  • Access to comment on every story
  • Sign up / manage to our newsletters with a single click
  • Get notified by email for early bird access to discounts & offers to our products
Sign in

Comments

Comments have to be in English, and in full sentences. They cannot be abusive or personal. Please abide to our community guidelines for posting your comment