Veteran Malaysian hockey forward Faizal Saari reached a milestone of 300 international goals during Malaysia’s 5-0 victory over China in the Asian Games group stage on Monday at the Gifu Prefectural Green Stadium. Despite the personal achievement, Faizal emphasized the importance of team success over individual accolades.

The 35-year-old striker, who debuted for the national team in 2009 and has since earned 333 caps, described the milestone as “very satisfying” but downplayed its significance compared to the team’s overall goals. “Goals are just numbers,” Faizal stated. “I would rather be in a position to help the team and for us to reach our target. I hope the players continue to maintain their momentum when we play in the semi-finals.”

Malaysia secured a commanding 5-0 win over China to finish the group stage with an unbeaten 5-0 record. Faizal contributed the fourth goal of the match in the 40th minute. His younger brother, Fitri Saari, opened the scoring in the 13th minute, followed by goals from Akhimullah Anuar Esook and Ashran Hamsani in quick succession during the 22nd and 24th minutes, giving Malaysia a comfortable lead at halftime. Azrai Aizad Abu Kamal added a fifth goal late in the 59th minute.

With nine goals in the tournament to date, Faizal trails only Pakistan’s Sufyan Khan, who leads the scoring chart. Malaysia had already secured a place in the semifinals after a narrow 5-4 win against Pakistan on Saturday.

The Malaysian team is set to face South Korea in the semifinal matchup scheduled for Thursday, with a spot in the final at stake. Faizal and his teammates will look to maintain their strong form as they pursue a gold medal at the Asian Games.