Johor bahru: The national junior hockey squad concluded their campaign in fifth place after defeating New Zealand 5-3 in the 2025 Sultan of Johor Cup (SOJC) International Hockey Tournament at the Johor Hockey Stadium.
According to BERNAMA News Agency, the tournament, which featured six countries and commenced on October 11, saw the Young Tigers managing three losses, one win, and one draw across their five matches. In the classification match for the fifth and sixth places, the Malaysian junior team demonstrated a strong performance by breaking the deadlock early in the first quarter with two goals: one from a penalty corner by Muhammad Harris Iskandar Osman in the second minute and a field goal by Muhammad Haziq Zunnurain Mohd Azhary in the 10th minute.
The performance continued in the second quarter as the Young Tigers successfully contained The Black Sticks from scoring. However, in the third quarter, Mike Delaney’s charges managed to close the gap with a field goal by Bradley Rothwell in the 32nd minute. Following an incident involving New Zealand player Jakarta Klebert, Malaysia was awarded a penalty stroke, which was converted by Muhammad Danish Aiman Khairul Anwar in the 44th minute.
As the final quarter began, the national junior squad added a fourth goal through a penalty corner taken by Azimuddin Shakir Kamaruddin in the 47th minute. Nine minutes later, The Black Sticks narrowed the gap with a field goal by Jordan Whittleston in the 56th minute and a penalty stroke goal by Dean Clarkson in the 60th minute. Nonetheless, Nor Saiful’s team secured their fifth goal through Muhammad Danish Irfan Muhammad Saufi, ensuring the Young Tigers finished the tournament in fifth place.
Head Coach Nor Saiful expressed in a press conference that the consistent performance throughout the tournament highlighted the national junior squad’s improvement, especially after defeating New Zealand twice. He emphasized the need to address certain weaknesses ahead of the Junior World Cup in India next month.
Saiful noted that the team played calmly and capitalized on the opponent’s inability to maintain the game tempo due to the hot weather. The strategy involved structured play with the use of both wings and defensive support aiding the attack, which created numerous opportunities. He mentioned the possibility of further sharpening the attack to increase goal-scoring chances.
The team plans to hold several warm-up matches against Ireland and other teams as final preparations before departing for India. The current training squad consists of 25 players, with 18 having participated in the SOJC. Saiful stated that all 25 players would be re-evaluated to select the best 20 players for the World Cup, including two reserves.