Moqi: A Muhammad Safwan Salihe eighth-minute field goal was enough for Malaysia to defeat hosts China 1-0, finish second in Group B and seal their berth in the semi-finals of the 2026 Men's Hockey Junior Asia Cup at the Moqi Training Base in Moqi, China, today. It was double joy for the national men's junior team as they also clinched an automatic spot in next year's Junior World Cup in India.

According to BERNAMA News Agency, Malaysia had earlier defeated Kazakhstan 8-0 on Saturday (Sept 5) and Bangladesh 4-2 on Sunday (Sept 6) before losing 5-2 to three-time champions Pakistan yesterday (Sept 8) in Group B. The team showed resilience and strategic play to secure their place in the semi-finals.

'We played really well in the first three quarters, but we failed to capitalise on the chances we created, just like in the game against Pakistan. Insya-Allah, the boys will give their best against India in the last four,' national men's junior team head coach Nor Saiful Zaini Nasiruddin said in a video clip the Malaysian Hockey Confederation shared with the media.

The Young Tigers were crowned Junior Asia Cup champions in 2012 and finished fourth in the last two editions in 2023 and 2024. In the semi-finals on Friday (Sept 11), Malaysia will take on India while Pakistan will square off against South Korea. All four semi-finalists have now guaranteed their spots in the 2027 Junior World Cup. The remaining two 2027 Junior World Cup slots for Asia will be decided through the 5th-to-8th classification matches.