SPEEDY TIGERS' DEFENCE MORE COHESIVE - HAFIZUDDIN

IPOH, May 8 (Bernama) -- National hockey team goalkeeper Muhammad Hafizuddin Othman believes that the defence of the new Speedy Tigers squad is becoming more cohesive after three matches in the 30th Sultan Azlan Shah Cup (PSAS) here.

The 32-year-old , who played a key role in the 6-4 victory over 10th-ranked team in the world, New Zealand, last night, said that the combination of captain Muhammad Marhan Mohd Jalil, Syarman Mat Tee, and Muhammad Syafiq Hassan is becoming more solid in preventing the national goal from being breached.

"Even during the match, we saw that they were frequently intercepting opponents' passes and controlling the defence well, so I think with more time, they could improve further," he told reporters after the match.

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Muhammad Hafizuddin, with 109 appearances for Malaysia, successfully thwarted several crucial attacks by the Black Sticks squad, including saving a penalty stroke from Jonty Elmes 18 seconds before the end of the second quarter, earning him the title of Man of the Match.

He said that the guidance of goalkeeping coach S. Kumar during penalty stroke practice sessions helped him save the attempt, although he couldn't stop Elmes' first try in the 28th minute.

The Speedy Tigers, who suffered a 4-5 defeat to Pakistan on Saturday, managed to bounce back with a 6-2 victory over Canada on Sunday, followed by the important win against New Zealand, the only team in the tournament that has qualified for the Paris Olympics.

Even though Malaysia are the defending champions, with the highest number of goals in this year's PSAS with 16 goals after three matches, the defence is a cause for concern, having conceded 11 times.

This has also raised concerns for head coach Sarjit Singh, who admitted that his team must work harder to ensure a stronger defence in future matches as they prepare for the 2026 Asian Games in Aichi-Nagoya, Japan.

“We can’t be making silly errors and giving chance for opponents to chase back. We also need to avoid playing low (near defensive area), because it is risky when 14 to 16 players inside the D box (penalty box), advantage for the opponents, they can push the ball to anyone’s leg,” he said. 

Malaysia will next face Japan tonight before finishing the round-robin stage against South Korea on Friday.

The Speedy Tigers, currently in third place with six points, one point behind Pakistan and Japan, need to be in the top two to advance to the final.

-- BERNAMA