PETALING JAYA — Malaysia’s women’s junior hockey squad suffered a narrow 1-0 defeat to Chile after conceding in the final minute of their World Cup fixture in Santiago.
Coach Lailin Abu Hassan explained that although Malaysia had prepared well by studying Chile’s penalty-corner patterns, a brief loss of focus proved decisive.
“The players read their penalty-corner situations well, but at the end they allowed pressure to affect their concentration,” he said. “A deflection off our first defender resulted in the goal.”
The late penalty-corner conversion by Saenz Javiera condemned Malaysia to the bottom of the group and eliminated them from quarter-final contention.
Lailin said the team created scoring opportunities but lacked sharpness in finishing.
He acknowledged a tough final group match ahead against defending champions Netherlands, who have recorded massive wins over both Chile and Japan.