KUALA LUMPUR, Sept 8 (Bernama) -- The national men's hockey team drew 2-2 with Pakistan in their opening round-robin match of the 2024 Asian Champions Trophy (ACT) in Hulunbuir, Inner Mongolia, China today.
In the match held in Moqi, Nik Muhammad Aiman Nik Rozemi rescued the Speedy Tigers by scoring the equaliser in the 56th minute, thwarting Pakistan's hopes of a comfortable lead.
Pakistan, ranked 16th in the world, initially took the lead with a penalty corner goal by Sufyan Khan in the 26th minute, followed by a field goal from Zikriya Hayat six minutes later.
Sarjit Singh's charges then mounted pressure on Pakistan's defence and equalised through a penalty corner by Faizal Saari (37’) and Nik Muhammad Aiman at the end of the match.
Malaysia will face China in their second match of the tournament tomorrow.
"A good comeback after trailing 0-2, the players showed great character in closing the gap against Pakistan. However, we cannot always afford to be trailing behind, as making a comeback in international matches is not easy.
"Looking ahead to tomorrow's game, we need to improve our final pass into the opponent's 'D'. If we can address this weakness quickly, we will create many more opportunities," according to a statement shared by the Malaysian Hockey Confederation (MHC) to the media.
The ACT tournament is Sarjit's third assignment since his appointment as coach in March, following the Sultan Azlan Shah Cup and the Nations Cup in June.
-- BERNAMA
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