JOHOR BARU: The national junior team played two contrasting halves and allowed Pakistan to score at will before trying a gallant fightback but still lost 3-2 in Group B of the Sultan of Johor Cup on Tuesday.
They ended last in their group and will play Britain in the 5th-8th playoff at the Taman Daya Stadium here.
The semifinallists will be Australia-Pakistan and India-Germany.
Coach Amin Rahim was spot on in his assessment of the three games which they lost.
"We had many circle penetrations as well as penalty corners in all three games but failed to put the ball behind the line and that is our biggest problem which we must rectify in the coming weeks.
"They did play badly for 30 minutes, and I was aggressive with them for 10 minutes in the dressing room, and they came out fighting for a draw. That is the kind of attitude I want in the Junior World Cup (JWC)," said Amin.
The Malaysian team never changed their script of giving away easy turnovers and playing in patches of brilliant hockey immediately followed by schoolboy mistakes to make Pakistan look good.
It was the same template that saw them lose 3-2 to New Zealand and 3-1 to India in Group B, and this style of play will be disastrous at the Kuala Lumpur JWC on Dec 5-16.
Malaysia won the first penalty corner of the match, and the stopper bungled, and after that, more bungling in defence saw Pakistan take a 3-0 lead at half-time.
Their fans turned up in full force, and there was even a band of drummers to cheer them up, but Malaysia played listless hockey.
Pakistan scored off a goalmouth melee in the 13th minute when Abuzar tapped in from close range and the floodgates opened up for Arbaz Ahmad (21st) and Muhammad Khan (24th) to nail the Malaysian goalmouth.
Coach Amin must have given his boys a shelling during the half-time break, as they came out fighting and pinned Pakistan in their own semi circle for long periods and even won five penalty corners.
But a mistrap and same direction drag flicks was easily read by the Pakistan runners, and nothing came out of the 15 minutes of toil.
Malaysia were desperate to show their fans, as well as the Penang girls' Under-16 team and the Pahang Academy Under-16 team who came to support them, and when they won their first penalty corner in the last quarter, senior World clCup player Shahmie Irfan Suhaimi's low drag finally sounded the board in the 47th minute.
The fire was lit and off a well planned attack, Shafiq Ikhmal Daniel narrowed the gap to 3-2 in the 51st minute, and it remained until the end.
RESULTS: Group A -- Germany 4 Britain 3, South Africa 0 Australia 4.
Group B; Malaysia 2 Pakistan 3.
FIXTURES
THURSDAY: 5th-8th: New Zealand v South Africa (6pm); Britain v Malaysia (8.35pm).
FRIDAY: Semi-finals: India v Germany (4pm); Australia v Pakistan (8.35pm).
* All matches at Taman Daya Stadium, Johor Baru.