Sarjit feeling blue over yellow cards and collapse against Kiwi boys
Malaysian players trying to stop the Kiwis during their group match at Bukit Jalil —CHAN TAK KONG/The Star
PETALING JAYA: Senior players in the national hockey squad should lead by example but they did not and, head coach Sarjit Singh was left disappointed after Malaysia's 3-4 loss against New Zealand in the Nations Cup yesterday.
Malaysia's hopes of making it to the semi-finals took a serious hit after they blew a commanding 3-0 lead against the Black Sticks at the National Hockey Stadium and jeopardised their chances of making it to the semi-finals.
The match's turning point came when Malaysia were given two yellow cards in the second half to seasoned midfielder Fitri Saari (44th minute) and Muhajir Abdu Rauf (52nd), which allowed New Zealand to put four past the host in just eight minutes.
Sarjit said the cards were completely avoidable, and was frustrated with the team's decision-making in the final quarter.
"It's both disappointing and frustrating. We had full control of the match. There was no danger, and three points were in the bag," said Sarjit.
"But one mistake by Fitri in the centre, and he got a card, and they (New Zealand) scored all their goals.
He pointed out that senior players such as 32-year-old Fitri should set a good example, as his yellow card was what led to New Zealand finding their way back.
"As a senior player, you need to watch out because the team need you; you are one of the main players," said Sarjit.
"But I don't want to blame anyone. The boys played well, but the cards let us down," he said.
Malaysia's three goals came courtesy of Akimullah Anuar Esook (18th minute), Fitri (38th), and Azrai Aizad Abu Kamal (39th).
New Zealand scored in quick succession right after Fitri was shown the yellow card, thanks to their player advantage, with goals coming from Finn Ward (44th minute), Simon Yorston (45th), and Sean Findlay (46th).
After Muhajir too was shown the card and sent to the penalty box, Ward stepped up and scored their fourth goal in the 52nd minute.
Sarjit admitted that it was a tough lesson to take, but one the team had to face before their final group stage match against Japan tomorrow. Malaysia only have one point after two matches following their opening 3-3 draw against Pakistan on Sunday. They need to win their final match against Japan tomorrow to keep their semi-finals hopes alive.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
New Straits Times
an hour ago
- New Straits Times
Speedy Tigers' Nations Cup destiny no longer in their hands
KUALA LUMPUR: Poor goalkeeping, poor defending, poor discipline, inconsistency, and not playing intelligent hockey are among the reasons for Malaysia's poor results in their first two matches in the Nations Cup at Bukit Jalil Malaysia have only one point from two Group B matches — from a 3-3 draw against Pakistan, and letting slip a 3-0 lead to lose 4-3 against defending champions New Zealand. Conceding four goals in eight minutes against New Zealand is a bitter pill to swallow for fans. It is hard to accept as the Malaysian team had played 12 matches prior to the Nations Cup, while most of the other teams competing in the tournament did not even play a test match before coming to Malaysia. To make matters worse, Malaysia's world ranking dropped by one rung to 14. Fans are naturally disappointed with the performance of Sarjit Singh's men as they keep making the same mistakes and they never learned. The Speedy Tigers have a habit of conceding goals. Against Pakistan on Sunday, Malaysia trailed 2-0 but levelled at 2-2 and again trailed 3-2 before scoring the equaliser. In the second match against New Zealand yesterday, it was the other way around as Malaysia shocked the defending champions by taking a 3-0 lead before bewilderingly letting in four goals. Malaysia need a win over winless Japan tomorrow to keep alive their slim semi-final hopes. Sarjit said he was disappointed and frustrated with his players' performance against New Zealand. "We gave New Zealand an easy victory because of our card management. "I hope the players will learn from the mistakes they made in the match. "We have put ourselves in a difficult situation and have to wait for the outcome of the New Zealand-Pakistan match before we meet Japan," said Sarjit. If New Zealand and Pakistan draw tomorrow, Malaysia can forget the semi-finals. But Japan coach Anai Yoshihiro said that he is under pressure after two defeats, to New Zealand (2-1) and Pakistan (3-2). "We will go all out to beat Malaysia to get back the players' confidence and to redeem our pride. "It is going to be tough playing Malaysia as our matches against them have been very close," said Anai. Last year, Malaysia played Japan twice, in the Asian Champions Trophy in Inner Mongolia, China. Malaysia won 5-4 in a round robin match, but in the playoff for fifth placing, Malaysia lost 4-2 in a penalty shootout after both teams drew 4-4 in regulation time.
New Straits Times
an hour ago
- New Straits Times
Whitney springs a surprise in Kuching
KUCHING: Malaysia's Whitney Isabelle Wilson pulled off an upset after coming back from a game down to stun India's world No. 69 and ninth seed Akanksha Salunkhe in the Asian Squash Championships in Kuching today. Whitney recorded a 5-11, 11-4, 6-11, 11-3, 11-8 win at the Sarawak Squash Centre to seal a place in the second round. World No. 222 Whitney will face third seed Ho Tze Lok of Hong Kong for a place in the quarter-finals tomorrow. Whitney, 17, who is from Sarawak, said this is her first Asian event, and she is happy to upset Akanksha, who is ranked much higher. "I expect a strong challenge against the more experienced and higher ranked Tze Lok, who is ranked 29 in the world," she said. Top seed Rachel Arnold made short work of Taiwan's Lee Yi Hsuan 11-5, 11-6, 11-4, and will next face Japan's Risa Sugimoto. Sugimoto beat Sri Lanka's Chanithma Sinaly 11-5, 11-1, 11-5. Second seed Aira Azman also reached the second round with an 11-3, 11-3, 11-3 win over China's Yin Ziyuan, and will take on South Korea's Ryoo Boram who got a walkover from Singapore's Cassandra Ong. Aira's elder sister, Aifa, also marched into the second round after an easy 11-7, 11-0, 11-2 win over Sri Lankan Yeheni Vonara Kuruppu. Fifth seed Aifa will take on ninth Chan Sin Yuk of Hong Kong next. Ainaa Amani Ampandi downed Eum Hwa Yeong 11-5, 11-6, 11-5 in the first round, and will face Japan's ninth seed Akari Midorikawa, who beat India's Shameena Riaz 5-11, 11-8, 11-7, 11-9. In the men's category, second seed Lau Tsz Kwan of Hong Kong beat India's Diwakar Singh 11-2, 11-1, 11-3. Malaysian fifth seed Sanjay Jeeva beat South Korean Lee Min Woo 11-5, 7-11, 11-8, 11-5 to set up a date with ninth seed Wong Chi Him of Hong Kong who beat India's Rahul Baitha 11-7, 11-9, 11-5. Another Malaysian, Joachim Chuah, also progressed to the second round to meet Pakistan's Noor Zaman. Joachim beat Philippines' Reymark Begornia 11-2,11-4, 11-5, while Noor Zaman beat Singapore's Aaron Jon Widjaja 11-7, 6-11, 11-6, 11-3.
New Straits Times
7 hours ago
- New Straits Times
Aaron calls for VAR technology to reduce controversies
KUALA LUMPUR: Aaron Chia has urged the Badminton World Federation (BWF) to implement Video Assistant Referee (VAR) technology to reduce controversial decisions by match officials. The shuttler felt that several national players — himself included — have fallen victim to questionable calls, particularly on service faults. Last month, during the second round of the Malaysia Masters, Kang Khai Xing-Aaron Tai were at the centre of a contentious umpiring decision during their match against Denmark's Rasmus Kjaer-Frederik Sogaard. While the Malaysian duo were leading 14-12 in the rubber, Kjaer's smash appeared to have gone wide. However, Swiss umpire Peter Meszaros ruled that the shuttle had brushed Aaron Tai's head instead, and awarded the point to the Danes. Had a video referral been in place, it would have shown that the shuttle did not touch Aaron Tai. Aaron Chia said that service judges are prone to misjudgment due to their lower vantage point compared to players on the court. "I think BWF should introduce a VAR system, similar to what football has. For service faults, especially, something needs to be done as the angle from which service judges view can differ," said Aaron Chia today. "Even though the service measuring device is fixed at 1.15 metres, the varying heights of the judges affect how they see the serve." Aaron Chia was also left disheartened at the Singapore Open earlier this month when a critical service was faulted during the final against South Korea's Kim Won Ho-Seo Seung Jae, halting his momentum with partner Soh Wooi Yik. He also called on the BWF to be more considerate when dealing with players requesting medical attention mid-match, noting that not all such requests are made in bad faith. "Some players might use medical timeouts to gain an advantage, but not all. There are genuinely injured players who need treatment, and I hope the BWF takes this into account," he added.
