P Naaveenesh strikes twice as the Young Tigers produced a dramatic comeback to secure their place in the final
MALAYSIA’S Young Tigers booked their place in the final of the 14th Sultan of Johor Cup International Under-21 Hockey Tournament after coming from behind to beat Pakistan 3-2 in a thrilling encounter at the Taman Daya Hockey Stadium in Johor Bahru on Wednesday.
The victory marked only the second time Malaysia have reached the final, having won the inaugural edition in 2011.
The Young Tigers, coached by Nur Saiful Zaini, moved to the top of the standings with nine points and have one match remaining against Canada on Friday (Oct 23).
Pakistan and Japan, who have six points each, will face one another to complete their group fixtures. Malaysia could meet either side in Saturday’s final.
The win was particularly sweet for Malaysia, who had suffered two defeats against Pakistan at the 2026 Junior Asia Cup in Mogi (Hulunbuir), Inner Mongolia, China.
Pakistan had an opportunity to take the lead in the 12th minute, but goalkeeper Abid Amsyar Hanis denied Rana Waleed’s flick from the penalty spot.
Malaysia eventually broke the deadlock through Naaveenesh Panicker in the 31st minute, but Pakistan responded strongly, with Adeel scoring in the 36th and 43rd minutes to give the visitors a 2-1 advantage.
The match took a dramatic turn in the 51st minute when Pakistan were reduced to 10 men after Hong Kong umpire Chow Ming Yuen showed Waleed a red card for an infringement.
Pakistan’s problems deepened when Mustafa Ghulam received a yellow card, forcing him to spend five minutes on the sidelines.
Malaysia capitalised on their numerical advantage, with Safwan Salihi equalising in the 55th minute before Naaveenesh struck again two minutes later to put the hosts ahead 3-2.
Pakistan suffered another setback a minute later when Haider Asam was suspended, further disrupting their efforts to fight back.
Despite the comeback victory, Nur Saiful admitted he had concerns over Malaysia’s penalty-corner conversion.
“The team played well in all four quarters to get back into the game and score goals,” he said.
“I was concerned when we had eight penalty corners and could not score from any of them,” he added.