JWC: Malaysia bent on defying fancied France

KUALA LUMPUR - The national men’s junior squad are determined to put up a fierce fight against France in a bid to make the semi-finals of the 2021 Men’s FIH Hockey Junior World Cup (JWC) in Bhubaneswar, India.

National head coach Wallace Tan is aware of the uphill task that awaits his men when they take on France in the quarter-finals on Wednesday (Dec 1), having described their European opponents as one of the strongest sides in the tournament.

France lived up to their feared reputation when they put on an excellent performance to beat defending champions India 5-4 in a Group B match on Nov 24. "France are a strong team because, judging from their success of beating India, they seem to have high-quality players but we will give them a run for their money," he said in a video clip shared with the media today.

Malaysia checked into the quarter-finals after securing a dramatic 4-3 victory over South Africa in the final action of Group A on Saturday.

The success of reaching the quarter-finals means they have achieved their early target of getting past the group stage before the tournament started on Nov 24.

Malaysia began their Group A campaign with a narrow 2-1 win over Chile (Nov 24) before holding 2016 runners-up Belgium 1-1 on Friday (Nov 26).

Malaysia and Belgium both finished with seven points but the European champions topped Group A on goal difference. - BERNAMA