Johor Bahru, Malaysia (Kashmir English): Malaysia’s junior hockey team Saturday reclaimed the Sultan of Johor Cup (SoJC) title by defeating Pakistan in a dramatic 4–3 penalty shootout victory.
Earlier, the teams played a 2–2 draw in regular time. The victory also ended a 15-year drought of the Malaysian side.
The high-stakes final was played at the Taman Daya Hockey Stadium in Johor Bahru. The game served as the ultimate chapter of a fierce, month-long rivalry between the two under-21 Asian hockey powerhouses.
Pakistan-Malaysia hockey rivalry
Pakistan entered the Saturday’s final hunting for revenge. Just days earlier, the Young Tigers of Malaysia had edged Pakistan 3–2 in a bad-tempered, drama-filled round-robin match where Pakistan was plagued by a critical red card.
For the first half of the final, Pakistan’s game plan worked flawlessly with Rana Waleed opening the scoring for Pakistan in the 19th minute. Muhammad Usman doubled the lead to 2–0 by the 23rd minute.
Malaysia however fought back. They responded almost immediately when Adam Asyraf Johari converted a penalty corner in the 25th minute.
The hosts threw everything into the attack, finally drawing level 2–2 in the 49th minute courtesy of G. Dheeressh.
The title was decided by a tense penalty shootout. Malaysian goalkeeper heroics combined with clinical finishes from Adam, Gagandeep Singh, Rahuul Fazrien, and Ashrafeel Iman sealed the 4–3 shootout victory for the hosts.
