The 25-year-old Pahang player had set the target to score in every match of the five-nation tournament in Ipoh but he had only one goal to show from Malaysia’s 4-1 win over Egypt.
Malaysia finished as the runners-up in the tournament after losing 1-3 to India in the final last Sunday. In other round-robin matches Malaysia beat Pakistan (3-2), lost to India (0-3) and drew with New Zealand (1-1).
Ismail, who has 110 international caps to his name, said: “I fired blanks last year in a seven-nation tournament. I was hoping to make an impression this year but only managed to get one miserable goal. I was a letdown again and this is definitely not good for my hockey career.”
Ismail scored four goals in the seven matches in a playing tour of South Korea last month. But when it comes to the tournament proper, he has failed to deliver and it is cause for concern ahead of the Asia Cup in Kuantan from May 9-16.
“We have a very important tournament coming up and I have less than a month to sharpen up my finishing. I have to make the chances count because the Asia Cup also serves as a qualifying tournament for the World Cup in New Delhi next year,’’ he said.
The champions get direct entry to the Finals and the next four teams will go into qualifying tournaments, which will be held in three venues in November.
For the Asia Cup, Malaysia are in Group A with South Korea, Japan and Oman while teams in Group B are defending champions India, Pakistan, China and Bangladesh.
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