KUALA LUMPUR – National women’s hockey head coach, Mohd Nasihin Nubli Ibrahim, was impressed with his team’s performance, despite their heavy defeat against India at the Hangzhou Asian Games today.
Malaysia suffered a 6-0 defeat against India in their second Pool A match at the Gongshu Canal Sports Park hockey stadium.
Nasihin said he appreciated his team’s effort in giving their all against India, who are ranked 7th in the world and have extensive experience in the Olympics, World Championships, and Commonwealth Games.
“We had already expected a tough fixture against a strong Indian team as they are better than us in every area of the game.
“Losing by such a significant margin is indeed an unacceptable defeat for us, but nevertheless, the players delivered a commendable performance.
“I admire their efforts throughout the game, and it’s not easy to compete against such an experienced team,” said Nasihin.
Nasihin also said the team would learn from this defeat and will move forward to their next game with vigour.
“This is a valuable experience for our team, especially in this major tournament.
“We are ready for our next game against Singapore, and we need to be more focused and resolute.
“This tournament is far from over for us,” Nasihin added.
The six goals against Malaysia were scored by Monika (7th minute), Ekka Deep Grace (8th minute), Nisha (11th minute), Phalke Vaishnavi Vitthal (15th minute), Kumari Sangita (24th minute), and Lalremsiami (50th minute).
Malaysia will face Singapore, ranked 34th in the world, in their third group match on Sunday.
Malaysia’s women’s team is currently ranked 18th in the FIH world rankings with 1,451.79 points.
Their best finish in the Asian Games came in the 1982 edition in New Delhi, when they came home with a bronze medal. – September 29, 2023