Win over Kiwis earns praise from MHC president

Malaysia's win over New Zealand in the Champions Challenge 1, albeit a penalty shootout earned all round praise, including from Malaysian Hockey Confederation (MHC) President Tengku Abdullah Sultan Ahmad Shah.

Tengku Abdullah said it was a quality performance from the boys, especially in the first half when they were leading the Kiwis 4-1.

"We could see how well the boys can perform against higher ranked teams. They functioned well as a team and showed that we can match teams that have a high standing in the world ranking," he told reporters after the match here Thursday.

Tengku Abdullah hoped the win would be able to silence the critics who had questioned the commitment and quality of the players who had initially lost 2-3 to France and 1-3 to South Korea.

Following the heavy criticism, the boys bounced back to beat Canada 4-3 in their third match before accomplishing an uphill task to beat the Kiwis who were certainly the pre-tournament favourites and who had stayed unbeaten throughout the Group matches.

Tengku Abdullah was also happy with the presence of about 1,000 hockey fans at the stadium to provide support.

Malaysia will face Canada in the semifinals on Saturday.