SULTAN AZLAN SHAH CUP HOCKEY: BELGIUM ROUT 'SPEEDY TIGERS' 9-1

IPOH, Nov 27 (Bernama) -- Belgium proved too strong for the national hockey squad as they cruised to a 9-1 victory in their fourth match of the Sultan Azlan Shah Cup (PSAS) at the Sultan Azlan Shah Hockey Stadium here today.

After their 3-4 defeat to India yesterday, Sarjit Singh's men took to the field determined to give their all, but had to concede to the world's third-ranked team.

Belgium's prolific striker and this year's world's best player, Tom Boon, opened the scoring with a penalty corner in the 8th minute, before Thomas Crols doubled the lead three minutes later.

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Spurred by the early setback, the Malaysian team launched a counterattack and narrowed the gap in the 13th minute through a field goal by Faizal Saari, but two minutes later, Thibeau Stockbroekx ensured Belgium retained its lead heading into the end of the first quarter.

The second quarter saw Belgium continue to pressure Malaysia's defence, breaking through again when Roman Duvekot scored the fourth goal in the 24th minute.

Alexander Hendrickx and Tommy Willem added to the Speedy Tigers' misery with a penalty stroke and a penalty corner conversion in the 27th and 30th minutes.

Tom Boon struck again in the 38th minute when Belgium were awarded another penalty, and Victor Foubert further punished the national defence with Belgium's eighth goal in the 41st minute.

Belgium's relentless attacks continued as Roman Duvekot completed Malaysia's dreadful outing with the ninth goal in the 54th minute.

Earlier, Canada defeated South Korea 3-2, while India edged New Zealand, also 3-2. Malaysia's final match on Saturday will be against South Korea at 6 pm, while New Zealand faces Belgium at 4 pm and Canada takes on India at 2 pm.

Meanwhile, head coach Sarjit Singh described the loss as a major lesson for his players, saying the match provided an accurate gauge of the Speedy Tigers' current level and highlighted areas that needed improvement.

"Belgium played extremely well after their match against South Korea the other day. They showed exactly why they are ranked third in the world," he said, adding that the opponents' defensive discipline also offered valuable insight for the Malaysian squad.

-- BERNAMA