Malaysia are through to the quarters of the World Hockey League after clinching a whopping 16-1 victory over causeway rivals Singapore today.
Tan Beng Hai’s men went into the game as leaders of Group A, on the back of two convincing wins over Ukraine and Oman, but with Singapore rooted to the bottom of the group, this was expected to be a goal fest.
From the offset, Malaysia showcased their superiority and were dominant in possession, which led to the opening goal on the 6th minute, courtesy of Faizal Saari.
By the half-time mark, Malaysia were 6-0 up. And just when you thought they would potentially reduce the tempo and head into cruise mode, Beng Hai’s men did the exact opposite by retaining their style of play and pushing for more opportunities.
11 more goals were scored after the break, including one for Singapore and at full time, Malaysia did not only secure a massive morale-boosting win, but also ensured that they topped Group A with maximum points; scoring 28 goals in 3 matches.
The victory is officially Malaysia’s biggest win in over 22 years, with their last major rout being in 1993; a 20-0 victory over Japan.
Beng Hai’s men will head into the quarters as massive favourites, as proclaimed by Datuk Poon Fook Loke recently. At the same time, Azlan Misron could potentially become Malaysia’s most-capped player, should he feature against Mexico in the quarter finals.
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