Maybank edges past Armed Forces Airod 2-1 in Malaysian Hockey League – Hockey Update
Mohd Zulkifi Abdullah of Armed Forces notched a goal in the second half but to no avail, as the team of Armed Forces Airod lost the match 1-2 at the hands of Maybank in the Premier Division of the Malaysian Hockey League (MHL) at the National Hockey Stadium
in Bukit Jalil.
Interestingly, the line-up of Maybank succeeded to win a game after losing two games consecutively in the hands of Sapura and Kuala Lumpur Hockey Club (KLHC). The performance from the two sides was not impressive at all. After getting the three points, they
had chances to end the tourney among the top eight squads.
On the other side, the team of Armed Forces lost the third consecutive game, as it had received defeats at the hands of Sapura and Nur Insafi in the earlier fixtures.
Maybank Coach Wallace Tan spoke to the media after his boys won the first game in the league. He said, “It was crucial to win this match as the three points are important. We lost the first two by a close margin and played well only to lose. This time around
we did not play well but won, so really I cannot complain.”
He continued, “Playing three matches in a space of five days will take its toll on any team and playing Armed Forces in the hot afternoon sun does not help our cause. So the break of five days before our next match will help us recover.”
The Maybank trainer maintained that it was a not a good situation for the players, as they do not get sufficient time to prepare themselves for the next games.
In the first 20 minutes of action, Maybank earned three shorts corners but failed to convert them into successful scores. The defenseman from Armed Forces was active to deny the attacks. Mohd Zulhairi Hashim and Hairul Nizam Abdul Rani could not open the
scoring for their team despite back-to-back attacks.
Amazingly, neither team could score a goal in the first thirty-five minutes of the match. With three minutes into the second frame, Zulhairi converted the short corner for Maybank while his team-mate Suhaimi Ibrahim managed a goal from the field after a
few minutes and doubled the tally. It was at this point when Maybank were looking victorious.
After conceding the first goal, the players from Armed Forces also started a fast paced game and their struggle paid off in the form of a goal in the 56th minute of the mark. Mohd Zulkifi Abdullah scored the goal but it was the only effort from
them in the two halves. Maybank won the match 2-1.
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