IPOH: National hockey coach Stephen Van Huizen admitted that Australia were a class above following the 3-1 defeat to the World No 1 side in Sunday's Azlan Shah Cup match.
"My players tried everything, but they were too good.
"Australia dominated the first half and forced us to defend.
"We were under pressure and it led to mistakes, and subsequently we were punished.
"However, we did better by giving them a good fight in the second half," said Stephen.
Australia scored through Corey Weyer (10th minute), Dylan Wotherspoon (29th) and Aaron Kleisnhmidt (43rd).
Marhan Jalil responded for Malaysia in the 53rd minute.
Stephen hopes his boys can forget about the defeat and focus on the match against reigning Olympic champions Argentina on Tuesday.
"It will be a huge test tomorrow as Argentina are among the best teams in the world.
"We will definitely have a strategy to counter their strengths," Stephen added.
Fixtures
Tuesday
England v Ireland (4pm), India v Australia (6pm), Malaysia v Argentina (8.30pm).
• Matches at Azlan Shah Stadium in Ipoh