A double tragedy for the Malaysian men and women indoor hockey teams in the SEA Games as they faltered in the final against Indonesia and Thailand respectively in Phnom Penh.
The men’s team, who were crowned Asian champions last year, went down 2-1 against coach K. Dharmaraj’s fast-rising Indonesia team in the shootout following a 3-3 draw in regulation time.
The Malaysians led 3-0 lead with goals from Danial Asyraf Abdul Ghani (21st), Firdaus Omar (24th) and Faridzul Afiq (37th). However, a lapse in concentration allowed Indonesia to equalise through Muhammad Firdaus (37th), Ferdian Rahman (39th) and Revo Priliandro (40th) to force a shootout.
Andrea Guntara and Prima Santoso scored for Indonesia in the shootout, while Malaysia replied through Abdul Khaliq Hamirin.
In the women’s final, Asian champions Thailand edged Malaysia 2-1 in the shootout after a 0-0 draw in regulation time.
