Speedy Tigers thrash Egypt 4-1 for first win

IPOH: Malaysia beat Egypt 4-1 at the Sultan Azlan Shah Hockey Stadium here tonight for their first victory in the 29th Sultan Azlan Shah Cup.

Malaysia had registered a draw and a loss in their opening matches.

Coach A. Arul Selvaraj’s squad dominated play and took the lead in the 12th minute through young striker Shello Silverius.

Stung by the setback, Egypt started to mount counter-attacks and drew level in the 23rd minute from a penalty corner hit by Mahmoud Mamdouh.

The Speedy Tigers then tightened their game and continued their hunt for goals in the third quarter, scoring in the 40th minute through Muhammad Firhan Ashari’s penalty corner conversion.

Egypt’s goalmouth was breached for a third time when Muhammad Amirul Hamizan Azahar scored a field goal in the 48th minute before Shello sealed victory for Malaysia with his second goal two minutes later.

With the victory, Malaysia have collected four points and are lying third behind South Korea and Japan, with one match remaining – the tie against South Africa which was postponed due to heavy rain last night.

Arul Selvaraj expressed confidence that his charges can beat South Africa tomorrow night.

“My players gave a spirited display tonight, and although we won on late goals we still walked away with three points.

“They showed a high level of discipline and tomorrow night we will repeat what we achieved tonight,” he added. – Bernama