KUALA LUMPUR — Malaysia claimed its first gold medal of the 2025 SEA Games with a dominant 7-3 win over Indonesia in the inaugural men’s five-a-side (5S) hockey final at the Royal Thai Air Force Stadium (RTAF).
The victory was especially significant as it marked the debut of the 5S hockey event at the biennial Games.
Malaysia raced to a 3-0 lead in the opening period, thanks to goals from Mohamad Akhimullah Anuar Esook, Muhammad Abid Sufian Mat Ruslee, and Luqman Nul Hakim Ahmad Shukran, who found the back of the net in the seventh, eighth, and 14th minutes respectively.
The national team maintained their dominance in the second half, adding four more goals. Akhimullah completed his hat-trick with strikes in the 17th and 29th minutes, while Abid netted again in the 22nd. Shafiq Ikhmal Daniel Suzaini rounded off the scoring with a goal in the final minute.
Indonesia managed to respond with three goals of their own. Mochamad Fathur scored in the 19th minute, and Alfandy Prastyo added a quick brace in the 24th minute, but it wasn’t enough to stop Malaysia’s charge.
National head coach Wan Roslan Wan Abdul Rahman expressed his pride in the team’s historic achievement.
“Alhamdulillah, I’m very proud that 5S hockey contributed a gold medal, and that we made history as this is the first time the event is held at the SEA Games,” he said. “I trusted the players’ abilities based on their strong performances earlier. The seven players with World Cup experience helped guide the new ones.”
Malaysia entered the final brimming with confidence, having dominated the round-robin stage. They defeated Indonesia 4-2, thrashed the Philippines 18-0, and triumphed 9-1 over Thailand, before securing a 9-1 victory over the Philippines again in the semifinal.
In contrast, the women’s team had to settle for silver after suffering a 1-7 defeat to Thailand in their final. – December 10, 2025