Speedy Tigers fall 5-1 to Germany in hockey World Cup opener

Malaysia's national men's hockey team suffered a 5-1 defeat to defending champions Germany in their opening World Cup Group B match in Wavre, Belgium. The Speedy Tigers were unable to prevent Germany from taking an early lead, with Jakob Brilla scoring a penalty corner in the fourth minute, followed by two more goals from Germany before Azrai Aizad Abu Kamal reduced the deficit for Malaysia in the 40th minute.

Germany sealed the win with goals from Justus Warweg and Paul-Philipp Kaufmann. With the defeat, the Malaysian team faces a challenging path to reach the quarter-finals, with remaining group matches against France and Belgium. Stand-in goalkeeper Zaimi Mat Deris expressed his determination despite conceding five goals.

Brief written by urgent.news from New Straits Times's own syndicated text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.