GREAT BRITAIN BEAT YOUNG TIGERS 4-1 IN 2025 SOJC MATCH

JOHOR BAHRU, Oct 15 (Bernama) -- Great Britain maintained their excellent record in the Under-21  Sultan of Johor Cup (SOJC) 2025 when they beat Malaysia 4-1 at Taman Daya Hockey Stadium here tonight.

The visitors scored their first goal through a penalty corner by Kaden Draysey in the 10th minute before Muhammad Adam Asyraf Mohd Johari equalised in the 17th minute through a field goal. only to see Jonny Sturch-Hibbitt score for Great Britain in the 19th minute and then Monty Neave scored Great Britain’s third in the 26th minute.

Sturch-Hibbitt scored the last goal of the match in the 39th minute, securing victory.

Head coach Nor Saiful Zaini Nasiruddin admitted that the Malaysians struggled to stop Great Britain’s quick gameplay and also failed to maximise their opportunities to find the net.

“They controlled the ball better than us, that’s why we found it hard to tackle. They trapped us with fast movement before marking in the D area - two of their  goals were a result of this.

“We also had chances at 1-1 and 2-1 but failed to score. That’s part of our weakness - we can’t score when we have the chance,” he said after the match, adding that the 4-1 result might seem big but was fair as Great Britain had advantages in terms of tactical maturity and good finishing.

“I think four goals are rather high, actually two or three are more than enough. But they are the better team and it’s a good lesson for our players.

“We need to learn how to adapt ourselves to the fast tempo of our rivals, especially during counter attacks and marking,” he said.

Nor Saiful said the match against Great Britain will be a useful lesson for his squad to improve their gameplay and perform better in their next match against India on Friday.

-- BERNAMA