KUALA LUMPUR: Malaysia came out short of defending their Indoor Hockey Asia Cup crown after losing 7-1 to Iran in the final in Kazakhstan on Sunday.
Despite the defeat, Malaysia have achieved their mission by qualifying for their first Indoor Hockey World Cup, which will be held in Croatia, next year.
Iran scored through Amirmadhi Mirzakhani (second, 34th), Payam Lashgari (fourth, 23rd), Hamid Noornanian (sixth, 36th), Sajjad Mamizadeh (10th), while Omar Firdaus replied for Malaysia in the 30th minute.
It was Iran's ninth Asian crown.
National coach Rodzhanizam Mat Radzi said Iran were better prepared for the tournament.
"We did well to reach the final and qualify for the World Cup. The players showed tremendous fighting spirit and discipline throughout the tournament.
" However, we still must improve on many aspects of the game.
"We hope the relevant parties, including the Youth and Sports Ministry and the National Sports Council, will support us to prepare better for next year's World Cup," said Rodzhanizam.