SEA Games: Men's hockey squad delivers expected gold

The Malaysian men's hockey squad proved that they are in the league of their own when they trounced Singapore 5-0 in the final at the Theinphyu Hockey Stadium and defended their SEA Games gold medal Saturday.

Coached by Tai Beng Hai, the squad also proved that the combination of senior and junior players was not a factor for them to shine and keep their unbeaten record intact.

As the preferred team, the squad consistently displayed excellent performance and Azreen Rizal Nasir scored the first goal in the seventh minute before Muhammad Azammi Adabi added another goal for the team in the 19th minute.

Dangerouslee Mathew put pressure on the opposing team as he scored the third goal for Malaysia in the 26th minute before Mohammed Azzami scored another goal in the 32nd minute.

The second half saw both teams gave tough competitions, but Ahmad Kazamirul Nasruddin completed the rout with a penalty stroke in the 63rd minute.

With the result, Singapore took the silver, while Myanmar won the bronze after defeating Thailand 2-0.

To reporters, Beng Hai said he was satisfied with the squad's excellent performance throughout the Games.

"We are so proud to have delivered the expected gold medal," he said.

Senior player Roslan Jamaluddin, 35, he was proud to have helped the squad to defend the gold medal after winning it at the 2007 SEA Games in Korat, Thailand.

"I'm so happy because being a senior member in the squad, I am still able to help defending our gold medal. I hope the new breed of players will continue our excellent performance in Southeast Asia," said Roslan, who is the goal keeper.

The national women's hockey team also delivered the gold medal as expected after beating Thailand 6-1 in the final Friday.