The Speedy Tigers have punched their ticket to the semi-finals, but they certainly didn’t do it the easy way. In a 5-4 goal-fest against China that had fans on the edge of their seats until the final whistle, Malaysia has officially kept their 2026 World Cup dreams burning bright.
The goal-fest kicked off early when Fitri Saari drew first blood in the 5th minute with a clinical penalty corner, but the lead was short-lived. China’s Wang Yaqi struck back in the 12th minute to level the score, and the momentum swung further toward the Dragons when Zhao Yulai converted a penalty stroke in the 16th minute to put China ahead. Malaysia refused to head into the tunnels trailing, as Nik Muhammad Aiman kept his cool to slot home a penalty in the 28th minute, sending both teams into halftime locked at 2-2.
The second half saw the Speedy Tigers rediscover their bite. Faiz Helmi Jali restored the Malaysian lead in the 36th minute with a sharp penalty, before Fitri Saari doubled his personal tally by calmly tucking away a penalty stroke in the 43rd minute. When the veteran Faizal Saari found the net with a blistering field goal in the 47th minute to make it 5-2, the game seemed buried.
However, China staged a late, desperate rally. Zhao Yulai grabbed his second in the 51st minute, and Chen Benhai set pulses racing across Malaysia with a 54th-minute field goal to bring the score to 5-4. Despite the late onslaught, the Tigers’ defense held their ground for the final six minutes to secure their semi-final berth.
Despite the late-game jitters, the Speedy Tigers showed the grit needed to close out big games. They now finish as Group B runners-up, trailing only Pakistan.
A high-stakes showdown on March 6 against the giants of Group A.
Credit Photo : FIH
