NATIONS CUP: MALAYSIA AND PAKISTAN SHARE THE SPOILS IN 4-4 DRAW

KUALA LUMPUR, May 31 (Bernama) -- A goal in the dying seconds of the match saw former hockey powerhouse Pakistan come from behind to salvage a point after a 4-4 draw against Malaysia in the Nations Cup played in Gniezno, Poland today.

The result saw the Speedy Tigers under coach Sarjit Singh miss the opportunity to collect all three points as well as avenge their 5-4 defeat to the same opponents at the Sultan Azlan Shah Cup recently.

In the Group B match played at the National Hockey Stadium in Gniezno, Malaysia drew first blood by taking the lead as early as the fourth minute (4th min) through Mohammad Fitri Saari’s penalty stroke.

Malaysia continued to dominate the proceedings in the early stages of the match and Muhammad Azrai Aizad Abu Kamal made it 2-0 before Faizal Saari was once again on target in the 11th minute from a penalty corner to give Malaysia a 3-0 lead.

The start of the second half saw Pakistan reduce the deficit through Abdul Rehman’s 32nd minute field goal but Mohammad Fitri restored the advantage from the spot 10 minutes later to make it 4-1.

Pakistan however, fought back to level the tie at 4-4 through Sufyan Muhammad Khan, Abdul Hanan Shahid and Abu Mahmood who struck in the 43rd, 52nd and 60th minutes to share the spoils.

Malaysia will next face France on Sunday and Canada on Wednesday to complete their Group B fixtures.

Meanwhile, Sarjit said that his made several errors when they came under pressure in the second half and that allowed their rivals to claw their way back to 4-4.

"First two quarters were good but, in the third and fourth quarters, we were under pressure. We started to make mistakes and allowed Pakistan (to pull back) for the draw. The players’ commitment on the pitch was outstanding. We lost out on experience. 

“I’m happy with the players’ performance. We must cut down on mistakes in the ‘D’ and take our chances. We need to recover well and focus on the match against France,” he said in a statement shared by the Malaysian Hockey Confederation (MHC) today.

-- BERNAMA