Malaysia stun India in Sultan Azlan Shah Cup
Malaysia stunned India 5-2 at the Sultan Azlan Shah Cup on Wednesday to keep alive their chances of making the final on home soil.
It was the biggest margin of victory ever achieved by a Malaysian team over the Indians, who are the defending champions in the tournament.
The first-half ended 1-0 in favour of the Malaysians with Mohamed Amin Rahim scoring off a penalty corner in the 27th minute. The game came alive in the second-half, with Tengku Ahmad Tajuddin scoring in the 39th minute and Mohamed Razie on target in the 41st.
“We had good games against opponents much stronger than Malaysia. I think the boys took this match for granted and paid a heavy price,” a team official told Hindustan Times from Malaysia.
India still lead the standings with 10 points and a win over Egypt on Saturday will give them a place in the final.
Malaysia’s hopes will hinge on whether they win their next match, against China on Thursday, and also on the Australia-South Korea result in the round-robin event.
Meanwhile, world champions Australia let slip a three-goal advantage to earn a 5-5 draw with Pakistan. Both teams were parading a host of young players and Pakistan overcame a shaky start to share the points after scoring a last-minute goal.
Timothy Bates, Grant Schubert and Christopher Ciriello scored in the first-half for the Australians while Mohamed Rizwan replied for the Pakistanis.