KUALA LUMPUR – Exposure to big tournaments like the Asian Games will only aid in the development of young players in the national women’s hockey team.
Coach Nasihin Nubli said this after his charges beat Thailand in the 5th-6th classification game today.
“I only have praise for my senior players who were aided by the youngsters.
“We need these young players to help because our team has developed well especially through exposure to big tournaments such as the Asian Games.
“Getting valuable experience like this can only be good for them moving forward,” he said.
In the match today, Malaysia had to work hard for their 2-1 victory at the Gongshu Canal Sports Park Stadium.
Their resolve was tested early on when Thailand took an early lead in the fifth minute with Inpa Kunjira scoring a field goal.
However, that did not break Malaysia’s spirit as in the 12th minute, Hanis Nadiah Onn found the net from a penalty corner to level the score.
The deadlock persisted until the 56th minute when Nuraini Abdul Rashid converted another penalty corner for what turned out to be the winning goal.
Apart from ending Malaysia’s tournament on a winning note, the victory also handed the team one of the four spots available from the Asiad to compete in the Paris Olympics qualifiers, which will be held in Changzhou, China and Valencia, Spain from January 13 to 21 next year.
Nasihin expected Thailand to give his players a tough game and he rued the missed opportunities on Malaysia’s part.
Nevertheless, he was happy with their performance and thanked the National Sports Council, the National Sports Institute, the Malaysian Hockey Confederation and fans for their support. – October 7, 2023