Malaysia beat Pakistan 4-3 on shootout to win Sultan of Johor Cup final after 2-2 draw

The Sultan of Johor Cup final at Taman Daya Hockey Stadium in Johor Bahru on Saturday evening went right down to the wire. With the match locked at 2-2 after normal time, hosts Malaysia held their nerve in the shootout, beating Pakistan 4-3 to lift the title. It is Malaysia’s second title in the tournament, after their win in the inaugural edition in 2011 — and this one came at home, in front of their own crowd.

Pakistan led twice, Malaysia answered twice

Pakistan took the lead twice in the match. Rana Waleed opened the scoring from a penalty corner in the 19th minute, and Muhammad Usman made it 2-1 with a field goal in the 23rd minute. But Malaysia answered both times — Adam Johari levelled from a penalty corner in the 25th minute, and Dheeressh Gunaseelan made it 2-2 in the 49th. Neither side could find a winner after that, so the final went to a shootout, where Malaysia came out 4-3 on top.

The road to the final

The final was a rematch of Wednesday’s group game, which Malaysia had won 3-2. Pakistan had started the tournament with an 8-3 win over China and a 6-2 win over Canada, then reached the final through a 2-2 draw with Japan — both sides finished on seven points with the same goal difference, but Pakistan’s 18 goals edged Japan’s 16. Malaysia, meanwhile, finished the tournament unbeaten. Earlier on Saturday, Japan beat Canada 5-0 in the third-place match.

For Pakistan’s young side, the defeat will sting — but reaching the final, and leading twice in it, showed a team that belongs at this level. The next challenge will come soon enough, and this final may well turn out to be the making of them.