JOHOR BAHARU, Nov 12 (Bernama) -- Malaysia edged hockey powerhouse Australia 3-2 in the final of the inaugural Sultan of Johor Cup hockey tournament at the Taman Daya Stadium here Saturday.Malaysia's captain Muhammad Noor Faeez Ibrahim emerged the hero when he scored the golden goal in the third minute of extra-time to help the team lift the Cup.
The match had ended in a 2-2 draw in regulation play.
Australia went on the offensive from the opening whistle and were the first to score when Dylan Wootherspoon managed to pry open the Malaysian backline of Mohd Noor Faeez, Faiz Helmi and Nurizzat Sumantri in the 11th minute.
Malaysia recovered quickly after than and began to dominate play but poor finishing let them down.
Malaysia's goalkeeper Mohamad Hazrul Faiz Ahmad Sobri who turned 18 today was also in top form in keeping the Aussies at bay. On resumption, Malaysia stepped on the accelerator and were duly rewarded in the 43rd minute when Mohd Fitri Saari scored a field goal.
The goal was just the shot coach Muhammad Dhaarma Raj's boys needed but it was the Aussies who went back into the lead when Jack Wallace found the net in the 59th minute.
With the 8,000 capacity crowd on edge, Muhammad Noor Faeez saved the day when he equalised in the 69th minute to force the game into extra-time.
Malaysia's victory was also witnessed by the Sultan of Johor, Sultan Ibrahim Sultan Iskandar, Sultan Azlan Shah of Perak and Malaysian Hockey Federation president Tengku Abdullah Sultan Ahmad Shah, who is also the Tengku Makhota of Pahang.
South Korea finished third in the tournament while New Zealand won the Fair Play award.
Muhammad Noor Faeez also emerged as the top scorer in the tournament with seven goals while Mohamad Hazrul Faiz won the Best Goalkeeper and Man of the Match awards.
-- BERNAMA
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