Malaysia are the champions of the World Hockey League Round 2 after clinching a sensational 8-0 victory over Poland in the final earlier today.
Having defeated Japan narrowly in the semi finals, Tan Beng Hai’s men were far more dominant against Poland as they threatened from the offset. Faizal Saari converted an early penalty corner to put Malaysia ahead before Razie made it 2-0 just before the end of the first quarter.
Razie then made it 3-0 before to half time, to ensure that they went into the break with a comfortable lead.
That being said, Beng Hai’s men showed no signs of slowing down as they upped the tempo to make it 5-0 by the end of the third quarter. With 15 minutes remaining on the clock, Tengku Ahmad Tajuddin, Haziq Shamsul and Razie all scored to wrap up a magnificent 8-0 win, effectively handing them the title as well.
Malaysia started their campaign with a 5-1 victory over Ukraine, before defeating Oman 7-0 in their second game. They went on to secure their biggest win since 1993 against Singapore, winning 16-1 to book their spot in the quarters.
Mexico were up next in the quarters and Beng Hai’s men scored a 10-1 win to book a semis tie against Asian rivals Japan. They were certainly the only side that really tested Malaysia, drawing 1-1 at the end of regulation time, though Malaysia triumphed on penalties to march into the final.
Statistically, this also means that Malaysia scored a total of 47 goals over six matches, conceding only four times en route to winning the title.
This also marks Tan Beng Hai’s final match in charge of Malaysia for the time being, with Neil Hawgood being appointed as the new head coach. Malaysian legend Datuk Yoges though, thinks Beng Hai should have been offered the job on a permanent basis after his side’s triumph in Singapore.
What do you think? Do you agree or disagree? Comment below!
Photo Credit: Today Online
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