Malaysia start strong in U-18 Asia Cup but lose Harith to head injury
Harith was struck in the head by an opponent's hockey stick during the Group B match at the Dazhou Stadium in China on Thursday and was taken off for stitches.
"He was bleeding and taken to the hospital," said coach Sufian Mohd.
"I'm not sure if he will be available for tomorrow's match."
Despite the injury setback and some disjointed play, Malaysia cruised to a comfortable win with goals from Harieq Hadief Fariq (13th minute), M. Thanesh (27th), captain Iman Faris Faizo (42nd) and Izz Ilham Azrul Ridzuan (47th).
Malaysia converted two of seven penalty corner attempts.
"The players were a bit disorganised, and we missed quite a few chances. Our finishing wasn't good," added Sufian.
Malaysia will face Indonesia, who were thrashed 10-0 by Japan, in their second group match on Friday.
Results
Group A: Bangladesh 3 Hong Kong 0, Taiwan 2 Uzbekistan 8, Malaysia 4 Kazakhstan 0;
Group B: Japan 10 Indonesia 0, China 9 Sri Lanka 0.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
New Straits Times
24 minutes ago
- New Straits Times
Malaysia put 10 past Indonesia in U-18 Asia Cup rout
KUALA LUMPUR: Malaysia hammered Indonesia 10-0 to secure their second straight win in Group B of the Under-18 Asia Cup at Dazhou Stadium in China on Friday. The young Malaysians found the net through captain Iman Faris Faizo (3rd, 20th minutes), Safwan Salihe (24th, 50th, 60th), Saiful Syahy (25th), Izz Ilhan Azrul Ridzuan (27th), Hisyammudin Abdul Rani (44th), Aferullsyah Ahmad Azuan (47th) and Rafiq Raze (54th). Midfielder Harieq Afi Rishaudin was rested after sustaining a head injury in Malaysia's 4-0 win over Kazakhstan on Thursday, which required four stitches. Head coach Sufian Mohd was pleased with the dominant display but stressed the need to improve from set-pieces. "My forwards played well against a defensive Indonesia. We scored six goals from penalty corners and four from open play," said Sufian. Malaysia will next face Taiwan on Sunday.
New Straits Times
a day ago
- New Straits Times
Malaysia start strong in U-18 Asia Cup but lose Harith to head injury
KUALA LUMPUR: Malaysia opened their Under-18 Asia Cup campaign with a dominant 4-0 win over Kazakhstan, but the victory came at a cost after midfielder Harith Afi Rishaudin was rushed to hospital with a head injury. Harith was struck in the head by an opponent's hockey stick during the Group B match at the Dazhou Stadium in China on Thursday and was taken off for stitches. "He was bleeding and taken to the hospital," said coach Sufian Mohd. "I'm not sure if he will be available for tomorrow's match." Despite the injury setback and some disjointed play, Malaysia cruised to a comfortable win with goals from Harieq Hadief Fariq (13th minute), M. Thanesh (27th), captain Iman Faris Faizo (42nd) and Izz Ilham Azrul Ridzuan (47th). Malaysia converted two of seven penalty corner attempts. "The players were a bit disorganised, and we missed quite a few chances. Our finishing wasn't good," added Sufian. Malaysia will face Indonesia, who were thrashed 10-0 by Japan, in their second group match on Friday. Results Group A: Bangladesh 3 Hong Kong 0, Taiwan 2 Uzbekistan 8, Malaysia 4 Kazakhstan 0; Group B: Japan 10 Indonesia 0, China 9 Sri Lanka 0.
The Star
2 days ago
- The Star
Young defender Ubaidullah ready to face AFF test head-on
SUBANG JAYA: Malaysian defender Ubaidullah Shamsul Fazili (pic) knows it will not be a walk in the park at the Asean Football Federation (AFF) Under-23 Championship in Indonesia from July 15-29. Drawn into the challenging Group A alongside tournament hosts Indonesia, the Philippines and Brunei, the 21-year-old is bracing for a tough campaign – but he's not backing down. Instead of being overwhelmed, Ubaidullah is embracing the challenge as a learning experience. 'I would like to thank my coach Nafuzi Zain for giving me the opportunity to play. It is a great honour to represent the country, and I see this as a valuable chance to grow,' said Ubaidullah. 'I think the tournament will be an opportunity to gain valuable experience for our team as we will be facing teams that will parade quality players. 'Hopefully, this will also be a platform for us to improve ourselves in the game.' Ubaidullah said the game against hosts Indonesian would be the most exciting. 'Indonesia will be making full use of their home advantage. The fans in this country are well know for their passion in the game. 'There surely will be some pressure considering Indonesia have quality players but we aim to enjoy the game and achieve good results.' Ubaidullah added that he had been learning from his senior teammates, who have done well in recent tournaments, ahead of their games in Jakarta. He had a chance to brush shoulders with the seniors as he stole the spotlight briefly when he was named man-of-the-match during an international friendly against Cape Verde at the Kuala Lumpur Football Stadium in Cheras last month, which ended in a 1-1 draw. Ubaidullah stressed that having experience with the senior squad does not guarantee an automatic spot in this young squad. 'First of all, I was lucky to be selected for this camp. But there is no guarantee of final selection. I see two or three players vying for the same position in the team. So I'm taking it seriously to fight for a berth,' he said. ''I'm inspired by the seniors' results. I will try to follow their lifestyle and disciplined routines to improve myself.'
