Malaysia scored an emphatic 7-1 victory over Chinese Taipei in a Group A match on day two of the 4th Women Under-18 Asia Cup at the National Hockey Training Centre in Bangkok on Saturday.
Defender Nuramirah Shakirah stole the show with four penalty corner goals, Nur Afiqah Syahzani (4th) and team captain Nur Zafirah (23rd) were in good form as well to score from penalty corner efforts whilst Wan Nur Syafiqah (41st) and Suhaila (51st minutes) added to Chinese Taipei’s misery.
The Malaysians got off to their campaign here with a 2-2 draw against China in Friday’s opening encounter.
In another Group A match, India defeated China 3-2 for their second straight win here after posting a 4-0 win over Chinese Taipei on Friday. The Indians lead Group A table standings on six points and are first to qualify for the Dec 21 semi-finals, while Malaysia has four points and China one. Chinese Taipei has no point to show.
Malaysia’s journey into the semi-finals from Group A, however, will very much depend on Monday’s (Dec 19) last preliminary round encounter against India while China takes on Chinese Taipei to wrap up the fixtures.
A draw for the Malaysians against India is enough to see them through to the last four. However, should the Malaysians fail in their mission, China has a good chance of making the next stage provided they win by more than eight goals against Chinese Taipei.
Korea also qualified for the semi-finals following a 4-1 triumph over Japan in Group B on Saturday. They had defeated Thailand 5-0 on Friday and meet Singapore in their last group match on Monday.
Hosts Thailand earned three valuable points following a 2-1 win over the Singaporeans and go head to head against the Japanese on Monday. The winner of this match will join Korea in the semi-finals.
India were off to a quick start as their first goal came in the seventh minute, with Lelremsiami converting a field goal to give India the lead and doubled her tally with five minutes going into the interval.
The Chinese came out stronger in the second half with Gu Yangyan scoring a penalty corner goal in the 40th minute to bridge the deficit. India held the control and the possession throughout this period but was unable to create clear opportunities.
In the 51st minute, Yangyan scored the equaliser via a penalty stroke. India rallied to score a goal through Sangita Kumari from a penalty corner to give India a 3-2 victory.
Speaking after the game, Coach Baljeet Singh, said: “It was a big game for us, and I am proud that despite losing an advantage in the second half we rallied and got the victory. It showed the strength of the players, mentally and physically.”
Results:
Group A: India 3 China 2; Malaysia 7 Chinese Taipei 1
Group B: Korea 4 Japan 1; Thailand 2 Singapore 1
Fixtures – Monday (19 Dec, 2016):
Group A: China v Chinese Taipei; Malaysia v India
Group B: Korea v Singapore; Japan v Thailand
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