"VAN" (Sports Desk - 17.06.2025) :: Whilst Day 2 of the FIH Hockey Men’s Nations Cup Malaysia 2025 had a difficult task in following the remarkable opening day, it delivered an enthralling four games of hockey. Masterful deflection goals, a collection of world-class drag-flicking and even a script-tearing comeback of its own, the day provided another fantastic advert for the game. In Pool A, France took hold of the most tangible success, securing qualification with a game to spare in their win over South Africa, despite South Africa threatening to claw back a point as they did yesterday. Korea came back resolutely from their first day loss to France with their first win of the campaign, beating Wales 3-2 and setting up a vital final Pool game against South Africa. After dominating for large periods without reward, Welsh tempers flared towards the end of the game and they find themselves with a mountain to climb at the bottom of Pool A.
In Pool B, Pakistan clinched an invaluable three points in their tight contest against Japan to go second in the table and remain unbeaten. Their second loss in two games, Japan earned an unfortunate label: the first team mathematically unable to qualify for the semi-finals of the tournament. New Zealand played out the game of the day against hosts Malaysia, keeping their perfect record. The Blacksticks capitalised on Malaysian ill-discipline to flip a 3-0 deficit into a 4-3 win and secure qualification. New Zealand will play out a Pool-deciding game on Wednesday, one that will be closely watched by Malaysia, who need a New Zealand win and a victory of their own over Japan if they are to qualify.
Korea 3-2 Wales
With both sides having thrown away wins from commanding positions yesterday, the first game of Day 2 was always going to be a scrappy contest. With three minutes left in the first quarter, a heated Toby Reynolds-Cotterill, the Welsh goalkeeper, was shown a yellow card for dissent. Substitute ‘keeper Rhys Payne was sent on in his place and immediately made an impressive save to keep scores level. Wales’ deep defence survived right up until the final minute of the first half. Gareth Furlong defiantly nailed a flick into the top corner, a release of Welsh frustration that had been building since half-time on Day 1.
After a 40-minute rain delay, the second half saw few chances, despite the two sides having scored five and four goals respectively the day before. With a minute left of the third quarter, however, Yang Jihun rocketed home a blistering penalty corner drag-flick from the first real Korean chance. Just 30 seconds later and Korea were gifted an astonishing lead as Benjamin Francis misplaced a defensive pass infield, feeding through Lee Jungjun, who made no mistake from the edge of the circle. With four minutes left to play, Lim Dohyun snuck a drag-flick through Welsh defences and Korea led 3-1. Wales did not do much to hide their exasperation, as three yellow cards were shown and they found themselves with nine players on the pitch. Even with their game collapsing, Wales managed to find a consolation, as Rhys Bradshaw whacked in a rebound from a penalty corner. Wales find themselves bottom of Pool A and may well feel hard done by to have just one point from their first two games, but the Koreans were impressively clinical where the Welsh were not, and it earned Korea their first three points of the campaign.
Korean captain Lee Jungjun was awarded Player of the Match after firing home the goal that eventually quashed Welsh efforts and spirits.
South Africa 3-4 France
Whilst both sides were riding the waves of their remarkable comebacks yesterday, it was France who immediately drew first blood. Thirty seconds in, a French penalty corner gave Victor Charlet a chance to take the lead, which he mercilessly slid into the bottom corner, as is expected of a drag-flicker of his prowess. But, with comebacks all the rage in Pool A so far, South Africa responded a minute later, Jaydon Brooker wrapping his drag-flick round to the bottom left corner to equalise. The remainder of the first-half saw penalty corners exchanged and defended well, to leave the score 1-1 despite a full-contact challenge and ten-minute yellow card for South Africa’s Andrew Hobson.
Going into the third quarter still with only ten men, South Africa conceded France’s sixth penalty corner, which Charlet slammed against the backboard to give Les Bleus a 2-1 lead. Even after two PCs of their own, South Africa fell further behind, as Charlet emphatically completed his hat-trick, sending his flick over the right shoulder of Hendrik Kriek in goal. With two and half minutes to go in the game, Xavier Esmenjaud took his tournament goal tally to four, again beating Kriek’s right shoulder, this time with a crisp reverse. South Africa did remind the competition of their ability to tear teams apart from any game situation, however, as Marvin Simons and Jaydon Brooker both scored inside twenty seconds to reduce the deficit to 4-3. The South Africans left their sprint finish too late, however, as the French saw out their second win in as many days and qualified for the knock-outs a game early, marking themselves as solid contenders in this Nations Cup.
After Victor Charlet was awarded Player of the Match, he acknowledged his team’s perfect start and what they will hope to achieve in the near future: “My goal is to win the Nations Cup, I don’t care about the goalscoring table. Today, we won not because of my goals - we won because we defended really well, like a team – we have to keep it like this.”
Japan 2-3 Pakistan
The first game of Pool B saw Pakistan take an early lead, Ghazanfar Ali nailing a reverse hit into the bottom right corner. From then, however, Pakistan struggled. Kazumasa Matsumoto deftly deflected through Muneeb Ur-Rehman in goal to equalise a minute on and Koji Yamasaki also deflected in, this time with far more conviction, from a strong first-time ball into the circle and Japan took a 2-1 lead in the first quarter.
It took Pakistan until the third quarter to reply. Waheed Ashraf Rana got on the end of a piercing ball from Arshad Liaqat and glanced the ball up into the top corner to make it 2-2 and double his tournament tally. With scores level, tensions rose and several video referrals only served to intensify the drama. Finally, after four unconverted penalty corners, Sufyan Khan capitalised with a rapid drag-flick into the bottom left corner and sent Pakistan 3-2 up. Japan threatened the Pakistani circle but failed to manufacture any clear-cut chances and Pakistan came away with three vital points that took them to the top of Pool B at the end of their game.
Waheed Ashraf Rana’s top corner deflection made him Player of the Match and he paid tribute to the considerable Pakistani support in the stadium: “Really thankful for the crowd. It’s like we’re playing in Lahore the way the crowd is cheering, it’s incredible. We want them to come for the coming matches and I love them all.”
Malaysia 3-4 New Zealand
Again under the lights and surrounded by raucous local support, Malaysia scored the first and only goal of the first half with twelve minutes to play in the second quarter. One of the best-looking field goals to be scored so far, Abu Kamal Azrai thread himself through the New Zealand defence before playing an intricate give-and-go pass in the circle and feeding the ball across goal for Anuar Akhimullah to tap in at the back post. Malaysia kept out three Blackstick penalty corners to come out of a solid first-half 1-0 up. Just under half-way into the third quarter, Fitri Saari confidently put away a penalty stroke to double the hosts’ lead. A minute later and the party truly started in Kuala Lumpur, as Azrai jinked and flicked his way to a second goal and a commanding 3-0 lead for Malaysia.
The Malaysian crowd became no louder for the remainder of the game, however. When Finn Ward fantastically deflected from the top of the circle with just ninety seconds remaining in the third quarter, the horns and chants died down. When injector Simon Yorston deflected in a penalty corner seventy seconds later, they dissipated completely. Fitri Saari’s yellow card, which had provided the Blacksticks with the player advantage for their two quickfire goals, did not help the mood either. Into the final quarter, New Zealand roared through Malaysia, Sean Findlay finishing a collapsed penalty corner to completely exhaust the Malaysian lead. Fifteen seconds after Malaysia’s Mujahir Abdu Rauf was also shown a yellow card, Finn Ward’s smart one-touch finish completed yet another Nations Cup comeback and broke Malaysian hearts entirely. New Zealand overturned early Malaysian dominance to go top of Pool B and match France’s perfect record across the first two days.
Nic Woods received the Player of the Match award and reflected on how the hosts contributed to the Blackstick comeback: “It’s a little bit easier when they’re down to nine men or ten men with the cards. We turned it up in the second half but it was helped by Malaysia’s ill-discipline.”
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