SEA Games 2023: Silver for Singapore men’s field hockey team
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Singapore's Nufail Raiyan Abu Bakar in action during the men's hockey final against Malaysia on May 16. Malaysia won 3-0.
PHOTO: SPORT SINGAPORE
SINGAPORE – After a narrow 4-3 loss to South-east Asian giants Malaysia in the pool stage last Friday, the Singapore men’s field hockey team were looking to overturn the result in the final.
But the scorching 36 deg C heat in Phnom Penh proved too much to bear as they fell 3-0 to the defending champions on Tuesday, ending hopes of a first hockey Games gold since 1993.
Forward Dineshraj Naidu, 25, said: “For the final, it was scorching hot at 1.45pm and this might have taken a toll on us.
“But mentality-wise, we pushed and tried to give them a good fight. We were working hard, covering each other and fighting for one another, but luck wasn’t on our side.”
The game plan was to take a defensive approach in the early stages of the match in hopes of tiring their opponents, ranked No. 10 in the world, and launch attacks later, said midfielder Bazil Kahar, 23.
But Malaysia’s aggression and stifling defence threw a spanner in the works at the Morodok Techo Hockey Stadium.
With Singapore pinned back, Amirul Azahar of Malaysia scored two goals in succession, deflecting a shot into the net in the second quarter and converting a penalty stroke with more than seven minutes left in the third.
Alfarico Liau’s long shot boosted Malaysia’s lead to 3-0 less than three minutes into the final quarter to seal the win and claim their 16th hockey gold at the biennial event.
Despite the result, Singapore’s players said they have achieved their goal – to better their bronze medal showing at the 2017 Games in Malaysia.
Field hockey was not featured in the 2019 and 2022 editions.
Before the final, Singapore defeated Cambodia (4-1) and Thailand (6-1) and drew their match with Indonesia (2-2) in the pool stage.
Naidu, who was part of the team who competed in the 2017 Games, said: “Since day one, there has been a constant improvement in every game leading up to the gold-medal match.
“We did what we had to do with collective effort, and the team gelled pretty well but there’s more to come. This is only the beginning stage and there’s a long way to go for this bunch of guys.”
Singapore’s Dineshraj Naidu in action during the men’s hockey final against Malaysia on May 16.
PHOTO: REUTERS
The future of the men’s hockey team is looking bright, with 11 out of 18 players debutants at this Games.
Naidu said: “They bring a lot to the table in terms of skills and speed. Some players, we have experience, but as age is catching up, we might not be able to push for that extra inch.
“But these young guys have a never-say-die attitude and are always going the extra mile.”
Debutant Kahar said: “The team is definitely going to continue training hard together. We already have good bonding, so we will do our best for competitions ahead.”
The women’s hockey team concluded their campaign with a bronze after a win, two draws and a loss.
