Kuala Lumpur Hockey Club (KLHC) proved to be a force to be reckoned with in the Malaysia Hockey League (MHL) this season after thrashing Terengganu Hockey Team (THT) 6-2, to win the 2015 Charity Shield at the Bukit Jalil National Hockey Stadium, yesterday.
The first trophy ahead of the upcoming season also serves as a reminder that KLHC is all geared up, in order to claim back their crown after losing two major MHL honours last time out – the MHL Premier Divisyen and TNB Cup – to THT.
KLHC captain, Muhammad Razie Abdul Rahim spoke to Kosmo Online, saying that his team never expected a huge win in yesterday’s match because THT had more imported players on their side, thus appeared to be an advantage over them.
“This match was a tough one but I’m glad with the commitment showed from the whole team. For us, it is a great start for the team in the league this year, and hopefully we will be able to perform consistently after this,” he added.
Muhammad Dhaarma Raj Abdullah, KLHC head coach, also claimed that luck was on their side. “We were lucky because THT were dominating so early in the game, which could have gone either way. Also, we scored from all our penalty corners.”
Dhaarma, however, was quick to dismiss that it was an easy win over their rivals.
“No one expected us to score six goals pass one of the best teams in the league. We were rewarded for our hard work. There is still a long way to go, so we can’t be basking on this success for too long and lose our focus.”
THT scored first through Argentinian Jose Leandro Tolini, before KLHC came back to lead 3-1 in a span of three minutes through penalty corners, scored by Ali Shan, Nabil Fiqri Mohd. Noor and skipper Muhammad Razie Abd. Rahim.
The second half saw more exciting action as THT could only add another goal, in between three goals from Dhaarma Raj’s team.
In the mean time, THT coach Sarjit Singh expressed the fact that his tactical changes in the final minutes caused them the match.
“This is the beginning, and I don’t think this defeat will dampen our spirits. I do believe our weaknesses will be identified and fixed before upcoming matches.”
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