KUALA LUMPUR – National hockey head coach Sarjit Singh has criticised his team’s inconsistent performance despite a 4-2 victory over South Africa in the fifth-to-eighth classification match of the Nations Cup at the National Hockey Stadium in Bukit Jalil today.
The Speedy Tigers ensured a shot at a fifth-place finish after missing out on the semi-finals, but Sarjit admitted the team struggled to find their rhythm early in the match.
“I don’t think the performance was good enough. Even though we won, the team was a little shaky in the first half. We also had a tendency to give away possession in the final few quarters, which is unacceptable to me.
“Playing like this, we’re simply handing our opponents chances to come back and kill the game. We really need to fix this before it’s too late.
“But as the match progressed, we took our chances and improved. I’m happy we managed to finish on a high after a setback and a string of poor performances in the group stage,” Sarjit told reporters after the match.
The Speedy Tigers will now face Wales in the fifth-place playoff tomorrow, and Sarjit reminded his players of what is still at stake.
“Our target was to reach the semi-finals, but we fell short. So now, we must secure fifth place in this tournament.
“We need to improve how we handle pressure across all departments. It came in patches against South Africa, so we must do better,” he added.
Malaysia opened the scoring through Syed Mohd Syafiq Syed Cholan, who converted a penalty corner in the 15th minute. South Africa equalised via Angelo Walstroom in the 30th minute.
In the third quarter, Malaysia regained the lead when Shafiq Hassan netted a field goal in the 37th minute, followed by Akhimullah Anuar Esook extending the advantage three minutes later.
South Africa pulled one back in the 51st minute through a penalty corner goal by Carlon Mentoor, but Fitri Saari sealed Malaysia’s win with a fourth goal in the 53rd minute.
Meanwhile, Wales head coach Daniel Newcombe said his team are aiming to end their campaign on a high by securing fifth place.
Earlier today, Wales beat Japan 6-4 to book their spot in the classification match against Malaysia.
“It’s been a disappointing tournament for us, and we want to finish on a high note by claiming fifth place.
“It definitely won’t be easy against Malaysia, but I have confidence in my boys. I know they are capable of pulling off a surprise,” said Newcombe. — June 20, 2025