Malaysia captured its first-ever gold medal at the Junior Asia Cup after topping Pakistan, 2-1, in a final game in front of more than 7,000 spectators.
"This is a very proud moment for Malaysian hockey as we finally won gold after 25 years in this tournament,” said Malaysian head coach K. Dharmaraj after the victory. "I give full credit to my players and the coaching as well as management staff. This journey started in 2009 and ended at the top of the podium today."
Faizal Saari got things rolling early when Malaysia was awarded a penalty corner in the first minute of action, which he ripped in for the early lead, whipping the sell-out crowd into a frenzy. The 2-0 follow-up goal came in the 18th minute from Syamim Yusof.
Pakistan worked its way back into the game in second half as Malaysia couldn’t keep up the intensity for the full 70 minutes. Things got interesting when Irfan Mohamed scored in the 42nd minute to cut the lead in half. The goal set up a tense finale as Malaysia desperately clung on to its slim lead, withstanding massive Pakistan pressure.
When the final horn sounded after the 70th minute, the players and fans in Malaysia went crazy, celebrating their historic first Asia Junior Cup title.
In the bronze medal game, India needed a sudden death goal from captain Akashdeep Singh to top South Korea. The game was tied at one after 70 minutes and it looked like it could be headed to a shoot-out when Singh struck in the 79th minute.
