Malaysia’s national hockey team secured a commanding 10-0 victory over Thailand at the Gifu Prefectural Green Stadium on Thursday, extending their winning streak in Group B at the Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games. With this result, Malaysia remains at the top of the group with nine points, having previously defeated Uzbekistan 7-0 and Oman 7-0.

The team’s strong performance keeps them well-positioned to advance to the semi-finals, with two group matches still remaining. Their final group stage encounter is scheduled against China on Monday.

Head coach Brendon Carolan underscored the importance of recovery ahead of Malaysia’s upcoming match against Pakistan, set for Friday. He highlighted Pakistan’s potency, particularly in penalty corners, noting the necessity for his squad to be in peak condition. “We have two good days of recovery to get ourselves in good shape for Pakistan. They are a team with good penalty-corner takers,” Carolan said.

In the match against Thailand, veteran striker Faizal Saari and Azrai Aizad Abu Kamal each contributed two goals, while Muhajir Abdu Rauf, Aminuddin Zain, Ashran Hamsani, Shello Silverius, Faiz Helmi Jalil, and Akhimullah Anuar Esook each added one goal to the tally.

Malaysia’s ability to maintain their momentum and recover swiftly will be critical as they prepare to face a competitive Pakistani side aiming to make an impact in the knockout stages.