Foul!

From defending champions to finishing rock bottom in the Sultan of Johor Cup , it was certainly a forgettable tournament for the national under-21 hockey team. Nevertheless, a more important meeting took place at Thistle Hotel in Johor Baru yesterday. A paper to 'restructure' the Malaysian hockey scene was presented by the Malaysian Hockey Confederation president Tengku Abdullah Sultan Ahmad Shah to MHC officials. Instead of studying the contents of the detailed report, many seem to be very eager to find out who wrote the report. Sigh! This reminds me of the expose I did on the poor conditions at the Bandar Penawar sports school not too long ago. Apparently teachers are still being hauled up and accused of alerting the Press but none from the ministry is addressing the main problem in the school. I hope the contents will be digested and practised by the stake holders namely the State HAs. I  sincerely hope they will. HD says: Hmm....

The national Under-21 hockey team made a remarkable comeback to edge Australia 3-2 win inaugural Sultan of Johor Cup in Johor Baru yesterday. Both teams were tied 2-2 after full time but it was Mohamed Noor Faeezwho scored the winner of the match in extra time. For reports of the match, read here , here and here . So where do we go from here? There were times where the boys played well. There were also times when the boys failed when it comes to simple passes. K.Dharmaraj or now known as Muhammad Dharma Raj Abdullah has done well to guide his boys for this tournament. Now lets hope for some consistency as a bulk of these lads are expected to graduate into the senior team. Pic courtesy of Sultan of Johor Cup official website. HD says: Well done lads.

UPDATE (3.45pm): They had plenty of possession but without really threatening the Malaysians, it was foreplay and no penetration. Read more at Jakarta Casual . ----- The Malaysian football team edged Thailand 2-1 in their second match of the group stage in the the 26th Sea Games in Jakarta yesterday. Without doubt the national team's performance was way better compared to their opening match against Singapore. Perhaps their engines have finally warmed up. Read NST and Berita Harian for more on the national team. The national hockey team kept their hopes alive after securing a 2-1 win over Pakistan in the Sultan of Johor Cup yesterday. Read here and here for more. HD says: As Ross Yusoff said on twitter; "The scoreline of the day!"