Junior World Cup :: A winning start for Malaysia

Forward Faizal Saari scored the crucial goal to give Malaysia a 1-0 victory over England in their opening Group C match of the Junior World Cup Finals at the Taman Daya Hockey Stadium here yesterday.

It was a supreme performance from the Kelantan player, who was in the sin bin for 12 minutes when he was yellow carded in the 18th minute.

But as soon as he came back on, Malaysia earned a penalty corner and Faizal, who is the main drag flicker for the team, made no mistake with his attempt. The 30th-minute goal was enough to give Malaysia full points.

Malaysia got off to a nervous start but gained in confidence as the match wore on.

For most of the second half, the Malaysians defended in their half but they were dangerous on the counter attack to keep England goalkeeper Ian Scanlon on the alert.

The Malaysians were determined to win the match and held out on three penalty corners in the last 15 minutes of the match.

Coach K. Rajan was happy with the result but felt that the team could have done much better.

“There is room for improvement and we need to step up a gear. The important thing is for the players to recover quickly for the match with the Koreans tomorrow,” he said after the match.

“A few of the players came down with cramps and we need to ensure that they are back on their feet quickly. The Koreans play a fast game and we have to be ready for it.”

In the other Group C match, South Korea routed the United States 7-0. Drag flicker Lee Woo-geun scored a hat-trick from penalty corners in the ninth, 25th and 29th minutes.

The Koreans had full control of the match and opened accounts through Kang Moon-kyu in the 18th minute. His twin brother, Moon-kweon, was also on target in the 44th minute. The other scorers for the Koreans were Lee Dong-hyun (47th) and Kim Ju-hun (58th).

South Korean coach Shin Seok-kyu said he was happy with the win and hoped to collect three points as well in the match against Malaysia today.

“Yes, I believe that we can beat Malaysia in our next game. It was a good start and the big win should only boost the players confidence. We want a convincing win,” he said.