Malaysia Finally Get Started: Hosts Open Their Johor Cup Against a China Side That Scared Pakistan
Malaysia are the last team to touch a ball at their own tournament. Sunday fixes that.
The hosts open their Sultan of Johor Cup campaign in the late game at Taman Daya, 7:35 pm local time, 4:35 pm PKT, against China. And China are not the gentle opening opponent Malaysia might have ordered.
China were 3-1 up on Pakistan. Then the roof fell in
Look at China’s day one properly, because the 8-3 scoreline only tells half of it.
Liang Haolin scored twice in three minutes, 15th and 18th. Wang Yubo made it 3-1 from a penalty corner in the 25th. For a good chunk of that first half, China were the better side against a Pakistan team that had come to Johor talking about a first title.
Then Pakistan scored six times in the second half and China had nothing left. That’s a side playing its second game in about 24 hours now, with tired legs and a defence that got opened up repeatedly once the game stretched. Malaysia will have watched that second half very closely.
But they’d be daft to ignore the first one. Switch off for ten minutes against this China attack and you’re chasing the game, same as Pakistan were.
What the hosts need from night one
Malaysian reporting in the build-up, via the New Straits Times, had Malaysia targeting a top-three finish at this tournament, and had Pakistan’s coach rating the hosts as the main threat to his own side. Home crowd, home pitch, a tournament Malaysia take seriously. The expectation is real.
The format gives Malaysia a bit of room, but not much. Five teams, round robin, the top four go into the medal matches on 24 October, with first playing second in the final. Japan and Pakistan already have three points each after day one’s routs. Lose tonight and Malaysia are playing catch-up from their first match, with Japan still to come on Tuesday.
Win, though, and the whole week changes shape. Malaysia jump straight into the medal picture and Taman Daya gets loud for the Pakistan game on Wednesday.
Our take
Malaysia should win this. Fresher legs, home crowd, and a China side that played yesterday and shipped six second-half goals. The danger is the opening quarter, because that’s where China did all their damage on day one.
Keep Liang Haolin quiet early and Malaysia’s tournament starts the way the crowd wants. Concede first, and a nervous night gets very nervous very fast.
Sunday at the Johor Cup: Pakistan v Canada, 2:05 pm PKT, then Malaysia v China, 4:35 pm PKT, both at Taman Daya Hockey Stadium, Johor Bahru. In Malaysia the tournament is on Sukan RTM (Sukan+) and RTMKlik; no international stream has been announced.
Not sure how to follow the tournament? Here’s where to watch the Johor Cup, and here’s how Day 2 finished.
