KUALA LUMPUR – Malaysia gave world number one Belgium a stern test before going down 3-5 in their final Pool B match of the 2026 FIH Hockey Men’s World Cup at the Belfius Hockey Arena in Wavre, Belgium, early today.
The Speedy Tigers fought back twice through penalty corner goals from Nik Aiman Nik Rozemi in the 31st minute and Marhan Jalil six minutes later, before Akhimullah Anuar Esook added a field goal in the 52nd minute.
However, Belgium’s prolific forward Tom Boon proved the difference with four goals in the 16th, 19th, 35th and 52nd minutes, while Thibeau Stockbroekx was also on target in the 43rd minute.
National head coach Brendon Carolan was encouraged by his charges’ performance despite the defeat, saying the fine margins ultimately separated both sides.
“It was a good performance today. I think obviously we’d like to get the result. We always want to get a result. The guys worked hard on a new defensive system, so it’s just fine-tuning. It’s the small details that make a difference at this level,” he said after the match.
In the match, Malaysia found themselves two goals down after Boon struck twice in the second quarter, but Nik Aiman reduced the deficit just a minute into the second half when he converted a penalty corner on his 200th international appearance.
Boon restored Belgium’s two-goal advantage before Marhan converted another penalty corner to make it 3-2, but Stockbroekx then stretched the lead to 4-2 before Boon completed his four-goal haul from a penalty corner, with Akhimullah responding in the same minute to reduce the deficit to 5-3.
Carolan said attention would now turn to the second stage of the tournament where Malaysia will need to quickly prepare once their opponents are confirmed.
“Obviously we need to identify who we have in our crossovers and we need to prepare properly for those games because obviously we want to improve on world rankings.
“I think we’re playing reasonably well, I think we’ll make sure we’re fully prepared for who’s in our pool to make sure we’re ready to go in two days,” said the South African coach.
Malaysia completed their Pool B campaign with one point from three matches after opening with a 1-5 defeat to defending champions Germany before holding France to a 3-3 draw in their second outing.
The Speedy Tigers will now turn their attention to the next phase of the competition, with their opponents to be determined upon the completion of the remaining pool matches. – August 20, 2026