Malaysia Stage Spirited Fightback To Beat Pakistan 3-2

IPOH (Perak, Malaysia), May 31 (Bernama) -- Malaysia pulled off a memorable 3-2 come from behind victory over Pakistan to keep their semifinal hopes alive in the Sultan Azlan Shah Cup competition at the Azlan Shah Stadium here Wednesday night. Malaysia who had last beaten Pakistan in 2007, trailed the former world hockey powerhouse 0-2, but staged a spirited second half fight back to ensure all three points, with the winning goal coming in the final minute. Pakistan, fielding an experienced side, took the lead in the 4th minute through Muhammad Umar Bhutta while Imran Butt made it 2-0 in the 12th minute to take a comfortable first half lead. Malaysia however, came back from the break with renewed confidence and scored in the very first minute of the second half through Amir Farid Ahmad Fuzi while Faizal Saari equalised in the 48th minute to make it 2-2. Just as the match was heading to a draw, Malaysia earned a penalty corner and Muhammad Razie Abd Rahim's well played drive beat the Pakistan goalkeeper in the 69th minute to send the fans into a frenzy. Coach Tai Beng Hai said the team had lost their rhythm after two early goals but managed to fight back for the victory. "Once we started scoring, there was more coordination, understanding and determination...it will be a good boost for our next match against New Zealand Thursday but we must not make any unnecessary mistakes against the Kiwis," he said. In an earlier match, Argentina clinched their third victory in the competition after edging India 3-2 through goals from Matias Peredes (37th min), Santiago Montelli (38th min) and Gonzalo Peillat (58th min) while India's goal scorers were Sardar Singh (49th min) and Ramachandra Ragunath (62nd min). Meanwhile, London Olympics host Great Britain revived their hopes with a 2-1 win over New Zealand who had won their three previous matches. Despite the loss, New Zealand retained top spot with nine points and Argentina who also have nine points are second with an inferior goal difference while Great Britain and India are third and fourth. Malaysia with five points from a win and two draws are fifth, South Korea with four points are sixth and Pakistan are in the last spot with three points. --BERNAMA