KUCHING: Defending champions Pahang stormed into the semifinals of the men's hockey event at the 2024 Malaysia Games (SUKMA), taking no prisoners in their 9-1 victory over Perlis in the quarterfinals today.
Mohamad Nor Syakir Hafiz scored four goals (10th, 15th, 20th, 28th) to lead Pahang to victory, with additional goals from Muhammad Handzalah Abdul Hadi (14th), Airil Abdul Razak (15th), Muhammad Danish Irfan Muhammad Saufi (38th), Muhammad Atif Aqil Zubir (40th) and Mohammad Harris Iskandar (42nd).
Perlis' consolation goal was scored by Muhammad Irfan Shahrudin (34th) through a penalty corner.
"Alhamdulillah, we made it to the semifinals. I spent the past two rest days analysing our performance, and today the players executed the plan well, showing significant improvement in their gameplay," said Pahang's coach, Mohd Sufian Mohamad.
"I didn't expect such a big win as we were just aiming for victory, but the players remained focused. I hope we can maintain this momentum for tomorrow's semifinal," he said.
Pahang will face the Federal Territories (FT) in the last four match tomorrow, after FT edged Johor 3-2 in another quarter-final match today. –BERNAMA