Kumar unimpressed as Malaysia women beat Indonesia at Asiad
KUALA LUMPUR: National women's coach CR Kumar was unhappy with his team's performance despite defeating Indonesia 3-0 in the Asian Games fifth-to-eighth classification match at Gifu Prefectural Green Stadium on Wednesday.
KUALA LUMPUR: Coach CR Kumar expressed dissatisfaction with his team's performance despite Malaysia's 3-0 victory over Indonesia in the Asian Games fifth-to-eighth classification match. Malaysia, currently ranked 21st globally, will compete for the fifth place on Friday against either Taiwan or Thailand. This win marks the ninth consecutive triumph over Indonesia in tournaments since 2013.
The Malaysian women, coached by CR Kumar, struggled against world No. 39 Indonesia, coached by Malaysian Iman Gobinathan Abdullah. Zati Alyani Zubir scored the lone goal for Malaysia in the 20th minute. Malaysia converted two penalty corners, one by Khairunnisa Ayuni Sharuddin in the 41st minute and another in the 55th minute. Kumar, who took up the coaching position in April, admitted his team's underperformance, stating that they missed numerous scoring opportunities.
With only two converted penalty corners, Kumar criticized the team's conversion rate as poor. Kumar attributed their defensive shortcomings to shying away from the opponent's semi-circle and made reference to some mistakes made during the match. He emphasized the need for improvement before their next game against Taiwan or Thailand.
Kumar expressed confidence in his players' ability to perform better in the upcoming match and highlighted the importance of finishing fifth to secure qualification for the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics.
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