IPOH – National hockey head coach Sarjit Singh has warned his charges to not take Canada lightly in their second fixture of the Sultan Azlan Shah Cup, which is scheduled to take place later today.
Sarjit’s response came after the Speedy Tigers stumbled in their opening match against Pakistan, losing 5-4 to the world number 15 side despite leading the match for 45 minutes.
Malaysia’s last victory against Pakistan came in a 3-1 win in the Asian Champions Trophy in Chennai, India, last year.
Sarjit said that Canada has the potential to bounce back after their emphatic 7-1 defeat at the hands of Paris Olympics-bound New Zealand in their opener yesterday.
“Just because the Canadians suffered a heavy defeat in their opening match, we can’t assume that we can easily beat them.
“Of course, they will come back stronger when they face us after learning from their flaws.
“To ensure that we deliver a commendable performance, we need to address our own flaws first in order to achieve a decent result.
“We have learnt a lot from our game against Pakistan and we hope to avoid making any silly errors,” said Sarjit during a post-match press conference last night.
Meanwhile, Canada’s head coach Patrick Tshutshani openly acknowledges Malaysia as a threat that they need to overcome in order for his side to have a decent journey in the tournament.
Known as the “Red Caribou” by their fans, Canada has made three appearances in the Sultan Azlan Shah Cup (1995, 1999, and 2019) since its inception in 1983.
“We should not give Malaysia opportunities to attack, as I have noticed that their players are really good at launching quick counters from the backline.
“We definitely need to reduce the number of errors, like what we did against New Zealand. Though we are ranked lower than Malaysia, we will ensure that we give them a good fight,” said Tshutshani.
For the record, the Speedy Tigers made history when they ended a 39-year wait to win the Sultan Azlan Shah Cup for the first time when they defeated South Korea 3-2 in the 2022 final.
Malaysia had previously finished second five times in the 1985, 2007, 2009, 2013, and 2014 editions. – May 5, 2024