Malaysia’s men’s hockey team opened their 2026 FIH Nations Cup campaign in emphatic fashion after a Muhammad Azrai Aizad Abu Kamal hat-trick inspired the Speedy Tigers to a commanding 5-2 victory over Scotland in their Group A opener at Hartleyvale Hockey Stadium, Cape Town.
The result marked a dream start for newly-appointed head coach Brendon Carolan, who celebrated his first competitive match in charge with a convincing win that immediately strengthens Malaysia’s ambitions of progressing deep into the tournament.
National striker Muhammad Azrai Aizad Abu Kamal emerged as the star of the show, scoring three times to dismantle the Scottish defence and underline his importance to Malaysia’s attacking plans.
Malaysia wasted little time asserting control, taking the lead in just the fourth minute through Akhimullah Anuar Esook, whose field goal gave the Speedy Tigers the perfect start.
Despite dominating large spells of possession, Malaysia had to wait until the third quarter to extend their advantage when Azrai found the net in the 34th minute to make it 2-0.
Scotland, ranked 17th in the world, refused to surrender and responded five minutes later through Jamie Golden, reducing the deficit and briefly threatening a comeback.
However, Malaysia quickly restored their two-goal cushion when Nik Muhammad Aiman Nik Rozemi struck in the 42nd minute, putting the Speedy Tigers firmly back in control.
Azrai continued his outstanding display by converting a penalty corner in the 49th minute to give Malaysia a comfortable 4-1 lead.
Although Andre McConnell pulled one back for Scotland in the 57th minute, Malaysia remained composed and finished strongly. With just one minute remaining, Azrai completed his hat-trick with a field goal to seal an impressive 5-2 triumph.
Credit Photo : WORLDSPORTSPIC/Christiaan Kotze
