KUALA LUMPUR — Malaysia found itself entangled in a web of defeat against China’s defensive prowess, succumbing to a 3-2 loss in their opening Paris Olympics qualifiers match in Oman today.
Despite taking the lead in the first quarter of the match through forward Azrai Abu Kamal in the 29th minute, the Speedy Tigers resemble more of meandering house cats in comparison to China’s imposing stature.
Under the guidance of head coach Haiqin Weng, the world number 23 ranked Chinese team made a comeback in the second quarter of the match through its skipper, Lin Changliang, scoring from a penalty stroke in the 31st minute after a foul in their penalty box.
China capitalised on Malaysia’s defensive error in the 34th minute when Ramadan Rosli and veteran midfielder Marhan Jalil failed to close their gaps on the wing, allowing Dongquan Pan to roll a perfect ball to Chao Jieming for the goal.
Head coach Arul Selvaraj made several changes in the second quarter of the match, only to witness midfielder Fitri Saari making an impact with his vicious attacks on the Chinese defence.
The 30-year-old nearly saw one of his efforts pay off when he almost scored from a penalty corner in the 42nd minute through a pass from Marhan.
The tables were quickly turned in the 47th minute when Rahim Razie equalised for Malaysia through a penalty corner.
However, China ensured Arul’s charges couldn’t end the game with a smile on their faces when attacker Gao Jiesheng scored in the 60th minute through a penalty corner after missing four penalty corners in a row.
Today’s defeat marked the second time the Speedy Tigers have failed to defeat the Red Dragons, drawing 4-4 against them in last year’s Hangzhou Asian Games.
Malaysia currently ranks at the bottom of Pool A with zero points and will play their second group match against Great Britain later today.
Their last group match will be against Pakistan on Thursday.
Arul’s Speedy Tigers currently hold the 13th position in the world rankings with 1,881.87 points. — January 16, 2024