by Hockey Supporter
20. June 2009 04:26
On the second but last day of the Standard Chartered Bank FIH Junior Men's World Cup, Belgium benefitted from Faizal Saari's suspension and defeated the Malaysian hosts 3:2.
Belgium defeat Malaysia 3:2 (2:0)
Their last match in the tournament was always going to be an uphill battle for Malaysia after their fiery and talented leader and topscorer (author of 8 of Malaysia's 15 tournament goals) Faizal Saari was suspended for one match after picking up his third yellow card of the tournament in Malaysia's match against Egypt.
After a slow initial twenty minutes Belgium capitalized well on their advantage in the first half, leading the game, dictating play and building a two goal buffer, adding another just after halftime.
Little later, Malaysia got on the scoreboard first, while the Belgians seemed to be tiring, losing their earlier zeal and energy. They had enough gritty determination in them to defend the scoreline until the final whistle but it was just enough - Malaysia scored their second goal in the dying seconds of the match and might well have caused the Belgians trouble if the match had continued.
As it was, the Belgians celebrated their victory and claiming 11th place, while Malaysia finish the tournament as the 12th ranked team.
Belgium defeat Malaysia 3:2 (2:0)
BEL - Felix DENAYER FG 26m
BEL - Simon GOUGNARD FG 35m
BEL - Amaury KEUSTERS FG 39m
MAS - Izwan Firdaus AHMAD TAJUDDIN FG 43m
MAS - Nadesh RAMANATHAN FG 70m
(source: worldhockey.org)
