KUALA LUMPUR — Malaysia must avoid complacency after their 4-2 victory over Bangladesh as they turn their attention to a much tougher Pakistan test in their third Group B match of the 2026 Asian Junior Hockey Championship tomorrow.
National junior team coach Nor Saiful Zaini Nasiruddin acknowledged Pakistan’s strength and said Malaysia would need to get their tactics right to contain their opponents.
“We need to study how Pakistan play. They are one of the good teams and will be a strong opponent for us. We have to know how to approach them tactically.
“If the players can nullify their strengths, God willing, we can produce a better performance,” he told Scoop when contacted.
Nor Saiful was pleased with the improvement shown against Bangladesh, saying his charges delivered a better performance than in their opening match.
However, he felt Malaysia could have scored more had they been more clinical in front of goal, with several chances going begging.
“The team played better than the previous match in the tournament. However, we made a lot of mistakes, especially in front of goal, as we wasted many chances.
“The positive thing is that we are improving from one match to the next and managed to score four goals,” he said.
Malaysia were also tested by Bangladesh’s effective counter-attacking play and penalty corners, but Nor Saiful praised his players for reacting quickly to close down spaces and disrupt their opponents’ movements.
With Pakistan next, the coach stressed there was little room for complacency as Malaysia wants to secure their place in the semi-finals.
“We are not here just to play. We want to make sure we reach the semi-finals. So, against China and Pakistan, we have to win.
“That is one of our targets for this Asian-level tournament,” he said.
Malaysia will face Pakistan at 3pm tomorrow in their third Group B encounter, with victory crucial to strengthening their hopes of finishing among the tournament’s top four. — September 7, 2026