KUALA LUMPUR, Nov 29 (Bernama) -- Young Tigers head coach I. Vikneswaran has cautioned his charges not to underestimate Bangladesh ahead of their clash in the Men’s Hockey Junior Asia Cup in Muscat, Oman, tomorrow.
The former international urged the national men’s junior team (Under-21), knowns as Young Tigers, to remain focused and vigilant, as the current Bangladesh team are far stronger than in previous tournaments.
A win against Bangladesh would secure the Young Tigers qualifications to the semi-finals as well as the 2025 Junior World Cup in India.
“This is a team determined to change the future of Bangladesh hockey. We saw them play against Oman, they controlled the game well, have skilful players, strong penalty corner flicker, and can execute long flicks effectively.
“I know this team has been playing together for at least three years, including tournaments in Malaysia. They are a formidable side. Knowing all this, we can’t take anything for granted, we need to be at our best,” he said when contacted.
The Young Tigers started their Group B campaign with a 5-2 victory against China, before thrashing Oman 9-1 on Wednesday.
The top two teams from the group will advance to the semi-finals, while top six finishers in the tournament would qualify for the Junior World Cup.
Vikneswaran said, besides aiming to qualify for the World Cup, the Young Tigers also wanted to finish as best as possible in Oman.
“We managed to open the scoring in just 12 seconds against Oman, and also beat China, who came here with the confidence of defeating us. We want to remain focused and continue to analyse the opponents’ game-play to prepare for upcoming matches against Bangladesh and dangerous Pakistan,” he added.
Malaysia’s best ever performance in the Junior Asia Cup was winning the title in the 2012 edition hosted in Melaka, while in the last edition held in Salalah, Oman, the Young Tigers finished fourth.
-- BERNAMA
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