KUALA LUMPUR – Egypt have got what they wished for, as they are set to face Malaysia in the ninth to sixteenth-place classification match at the men’s Hockey Junior World Cup.
Head coach Mostafa Khalil said the Pharaohs might have a better chance of defeating the junior Speedy Tigers compared to Australia.
His response came after his team’s 10-0 defeat to Germany in the final Group B match today, leaving them bottom of the group with zero points.
“Our team has performed poorly in this tournament due to numerous injuries and limited training before the competitions.
“Since we lost to Germany, our ultimate target now is to finish ninth in the tournament, where we will face either Australia or Malaysia.
“Playing against Australia will be tough, as they play better hockey than us.
“However, I believe we can compete against Malaysia since we are at a similar level, making it easier for us to defeat them,” said Mostafa in a post-match conference today.
Malaysia have become a victim of the Pharaohs’ mind games after falling 5-2 to Australia in their final Group A match at the National Hockey Stadium in Bukit Jalil today.
The junior Speedy Tigers, who initially aimed for a quarter-final finish, will now have to face Egypt on December 11, dealing with a similar fitness and injury crisis as their opponents.
In response to their opponents’ remark, Malaysia head coach Amin Rahim said that his team are ready for psychological warfare and hope to shatter Egypt’s dreams by defeating them in the next match.
“Perhaps they think that we don’t play at the same high standard of hockey as the other teams in our group, but for me, I don’t care about what they think of my team.
“I’m confident in my team and my players, and we need to make proper preparations before facing Egypt, as they are also a strong team like the rest.
“They are physical and robust, and we aim to break their mental strength, control our game and not allow them to defeat us,” said Amin.
Amin also hopes his team will end the tournament on a high note and work on their consistency to fulfil their mission.
“What my boys showed in today’s match against Australia was not impressive, and conceding three goals in the opening quarters demotivated them for the rest of the match.
“When we talk about consistency, we have to work on our technical planning and skill execution.
“This is the World Cup, and my players should value the efforts that the coaching team is putting in to elevate their gameplay.
“We will address our flaws and complete the current mission by finishing ninth in this tournament,” Amin added.
Australia scored through Cooper Burns (second minute), Jake Lambeth (sixth, 28th), Campbell Geddes (15th, 45th), while Harris Iskandar Osman (21st) and Shafiq Ikhmal Daniel (44th) replied for Malaysia. – December 8, 2023
