KUALA LUMPUR: It was a humiliating day for the national men's hockey team as they finished bottom in the Asian Champions Trophy (ACT) in Inner Mongolia, China, today.
The Speedy Tigers, hoping to salvage pride after missing their top-four target, instead fell to Japan in a 4-2 shootout following a 4-4 draw in regulation time in the fifth-place classification match.
It marked Malaysia's worst-ever performance in the tournament since it began in Ordos, China, in 2011.
In the shootout, Faizal Saari and Norsyafiq Sumantri converted for Malaysia, but Japan's Kosei Kawabe, Kazumasa Matsumoto, Seren Tanaka, and Ken Nagayoshi were flawless, securing the win.
Earlier, Faizal bagged a brace in the 21st and 32nd minutes, while Akhimullah Anuar Esook (fifth) and Fitri Saari (47th) added Malaysia's other goals.
Japan's Kazumasa Matsumoto also netted two (third and 37th minutes), with Yuki Chiba (24th) and Seren Tanaka (59th) completing the comeback for Japan.
Malaysia were on course for a victory, leading 4-3 with five minutes left, but their hopes were dashed when Faizal was sent to the sin bin for a rough tackle.
This dismal performance highlights the struggles of Malaysian hockey, and the Malaysian Hockey Confederation (MHC) must take immediate action to reverse the team's fortunes.