Young Tigers coach Nor Saiful Zaini urges Malaysia to sharpen their attack and convert scoring chances ahead of their Sultan of Johor Cup clash against Japan
JOHOR BAHRU: The national junior hockey team, dubbed the Young Tigers, need to sharpen their attack and capitalise on every scoring opportunity if they intend to advance to the final of the 2026 Sultan of Johor Cup (SOJC).
Young Tigers head coach Nor Saiful Zaini Nasiruddin these are the two aspects they need to improve on ahead of their second match in the SOJC – against Japan – at the Johor Hockey Stadium in Taman Daya here tomorrow.
While quick to praise his boys for their opening 3-0 win over China, he reminded them of the need to score more goals.
“Against China, I was happy that we got all three points. But we also missed a lot of chances. And that, to me, is a weakness that we must rectify, along with sharpening our attacking machinery. We can go far if we can do that in our upcoming matches,” he told the post-match press conference last night.
Nor Saiful also reminded his team to be wary of Japan even though their opponents are not fielding their main Asian Cup squad for the SOJC.
“The match against Japan is crucial. They are a strong outfit and we need to be careful. Our players must stay disciplined in following the strategy,” he added.
The Young Tigers began their SOJC campaign by defeating China 3-0 at the same venue last night.
Defender Muhammad Nabil Irfan Mohd Yusof helped himself to a brace in the fifth and 28th minutes, while midfielder Aferull Syah Ahmad Azuan Syahrill chipped in with the third in the 57th minute.
The other two teams competing in the SOJC are Pakistan and Canada.