KUALA LUMPUR: Malaysia edged Wales 2-1 in a FIH Series Finals cross-over match to stay afloat at the National Stadium in Bukit Jalil today.
They must beat Austria in the semi-final on Friday to salvage their battered pride in the eyes of world hockey following the 4-2 humiliation by Italy on Monday.
The other semi-final will be between Canada and Italy.
It was not an easy win, as when Wales took out their goalkeeper for a kicking back with five minutes remaining, they scored and it was a tense moment for Roelant Oltmens’ men to deliver in this match.
“The last five minutes were a little tense because even though we knew they will use a kicking back, and we were prepared for it, our players were too eager to score and made mistakes.
“Wales had one good shot and scored, but in the end, we held onto the lead and will play in the semis,” said Oltmans.
Tengku Ahmad Tajuddin, at 33, led by example again.
“That's my job, to lead the younger strikers and also give them guidance, and I'm glad I did well in this tournament,” he said.
On their semi-final opponents, Austria, he said: “They are a good defensive team, and we will have to work harder to find the gaps,” said Oltmans.
A point to ponder is that Wales will never get to play in the Olympics even if they win this tournament, and the next round as well.
That is because for the Olympics, Wales, Scotland and England combine to form Great Britain.
So, there was no pressure on them, while Malaysia had to redeem their pride after the shock loss to Italy.
The first quarter was a tale of missed chances, as Malaysia even failed to score off their only penalty corner.
But it was a different Malaysia who fought for every ball, and even though the national team did not play beautiful hockey, a combined effort delivered two goals.
Tengku Ahmad Tajuddin gave the team some breathing space in the 27th minute when he scored a beautiful goal which mesmerised not only the crowd, but the Wales players as well as they stood rooted, watching the ball crash in.
Wales held themselves well after that, but Faizal Saari made sure of the second goal with a well placed reverse stick attempt in the 40th minute.
The match went into high gear when Luke Hawker scored in the 56th minute, but Malaysia held onto their dear lives to avoid a shootout.