Carolan hails Tigers' bite in dramatic late comeback against Pakistan

KUALA LUMPUR: National coach Brendon Carolan is confident that Malaysia can beat China and remain unbeaten in the Asian Games hockey competition following a dramatic 5-4 victory over Pakistan. The Speedy Tigers fought back with two goals in the final four minutes to secure the win in a Group B match in Gifu, putting them virtually in contention for the semi-finals. Currently holding 12 points from four matches, Malaysia will face China on Monday.

Coach Carolan expressed pride in his team's mental resilience, stating, "I am really proud of the guys as they were mentally resilient to come back to get a result." However, he acknowledged that the third quarter was not their best performance, noting that allowing Pakistan to score many penalty corners was disappointing. Despite this, Carolan urged his team to focus on China, emphasizing the need to beat them to top the group.

He stressed that they must prepare well for their final game, adding that they respect China and will not underestimate them.

In the match, Pakistan took the lead in the third minute with a penalty corner, but Malaysia quickly fought back. Shello Silverius put Malaysia ahead in the fifth minute, and Faizal Saari extended the lead in the 23rd minute. Sufyan responded with goals in the 39th and 43rd minutes off penalty corners, giving Pakistan a 3-2 lead.

Fitri Saari leveled the score for Malaysia in the 45th minute, and Sufyan restored Pakistan's lead a minute later. However, Malaysia continued to press, equalizing through Shello in the 56th minute. The winner, Azrai Aizad Abu Kamal, scored three minutes from time, sealing the victory for Malaysia over the former world champions.