Asian Hockey Champions Trophy: Malaysia's late goal earns Pakistan a 2-2 draw

Moqi (China), September 8 (IANS): The first two matches of the Hero Asian Champions Trophy ended in thrilling draws. After Korea held Japan at bay with a 5-5 goal fest in the opening match of the day, Malaysia managed to come back from behind to draw 2-2 with Pakistan in a hard-fought match on Sunday.

Led by newly appointed head coach Tahir Zahan, Pakistan started the season well with an attacking first quarter. Although Malaysia were strong in defence and did not allow any successful shots on goal, Pakistan were awarded a PC after an infringement in the circle seconds before the first siren. However, despite four replays, their star drag flicker Abu Mahmood could not break through the Malaysian rushers. That was not the case when they worked hard to claim a PC in the 24th minute.

After a few quick tips from Zaman to Mahmood in front of the PC, they developed a variation of the penalty corner attack which resulted in Sufyan Khan scoring the goal and giving Pakistan a crucial 1-0 lead.

Pakistan came back from the 10-minute halftime break with a 1-0 lead and scored a great field goal by Zikriya Hayat in the 32nd minute. A defensive error by Pakistan meant a PC five minutes later. It was the experienced Faizal Saari who reduced the deficit to 1-2 with a beautiful goal.

The final quarter was intense and both teams played evenly. While Pakistan defended their 2-1 lead with all their might, the Malaysian attack pushed aggressively for a goal. It didn't help Pakistan's cause that they were a man down as Faisal Qadir was shown a yellow card in the 45th minute.

With four minutes to go, Malaysia won an important PC game. Aiman ​​Rozemi scored a sensational goal with a perfect drag-flick, beating Pakistani goalkeeper Ishtiaq Abdullah Khan.

“This is a good start for Malaysia. We fought back from a 2-0 deficit. We will take courage from this game and come back stronger tomorrow in the match against China,” said Faizal Saari, who scored the decisive first goal for Malaysia.

Hero of the match Ammad Butt of Pakistan said: “Malaysia are tough opponents. We started very well but in the third and fourth quarters we didn't manage our defence well and that cost us the game. They pulled themselves together on their short corners to get back into the game and that is the area (short corner defence) we want to work on in tomorrow's match. Being named the hero of the match is a proud moment for me.”