KUALA LUMPUR: Malaysia were edged 1-0 by South Korea in a Pool B match of the Nations Cup in Potchefstroom, South Africa today.
Korea's solitary goal was scored by Jang Jonghyun off a fifth-minute penalty corner.
"Although we lost the opening match, my players showed good commitment and discipline.
"What we need to do next is to beat Canada in our next match. If we can press, we should take three points," said national coach Arul Selvaraj today.
Korean skipper Lee Namyong had a short and crispy take on the match: "We have played Malaysia many times this year, and we came prepared for them."
Malaysia are the highest-ranked team in the Nations Cup at world no 10, while the Koreans are no 12.
The amazing part of the match was that Malaysia won a penalty stroke while South Korea had two. However, both teams failed to convert their strokes.
Korea had four penalty corners and scored one, while Malaysia had two.
In another match, world 12 Ireland upset 11th-ranked France 2-1 in Pool A.
RESULTS
Canada 0 Japan 3, Ireland 2 France 1, Malaysia 0 South Korea 1.
FIXTURES
TODAY: South Korea v Japan (3pm), Pakistan v Ireland (5pm), Canada v Malaysia (7pm), South Africa v France (10pm).
Note: Malaysian time.