The Malaysian side continued to showcase their undying spirit as they held a resolute Korea to 2-2 draw here on an exciting day of Super 4s stage in the ongoing Hero Asia Cup 2022 at the beautiful GBK Sports Arena in Jakarta, Indonesia.
Though it was Korea who were quick to get off the blocks, making an attacking start with circle penetration within the first minute of the match, Malaysia was the first to pocket a goal as early as in the 4th minute. It was a foot foul in the Malaysian striking circle that saw Korea concede a PC and it was powerfully struck by experienced PC specialist Razie Rahim.
The 1-0 lead put Malaysia in command of the proceedings as they made inroads into the Korean circle but could not break their defence to double the lead. Korea, in the meantime, patiently built on their attack and created a fine opportunity through a PC in the 12th minute. Namyong Lee made no mistake in converting from a well-planned and executed set piece, where he deflected the ball from Jonghyun Jang’s powerful drag flick.
Korea doubled the lead in the second quarter when Junwoo Jeong scored a field goal in the 21st minute. The following minutes saw a gridlock with Korea defending well, not allowing any space in their circle for Malaysia to create scoring opportunities. “It was a tough match against them. Korea played well today but we just did not want to give up and pushed for goals,” expressed Razie Rahim.
Malaysia was finally able to beat the deadlock in the 40th minute when a structured attack resulted in a field goal by Ashran Hamsani. “We are happy to have made the qualification for the World Cup by entering the Super 4s stage but we are here to win the Cup and will play our best to achieve this goal,” Rahim added.
Hero Man of the Match was awarded to Korea’s Lee Seungil
