Hard-working Malaysians are ground down by England
As the rain poured down, England men ground out a 2-0 win over Malaysia, but the Speedy Tigers can thank their ‘keeper Kumar Subramaim that the scoreline remained so close. By contrast, England will look back on the number of wasted opportunities with some concern. Fourth-ranked England opened their scoring in the fourth minute of the game through a goal from Mark Gleghorne, but despite having far greater possession for a large percentage of the game, Barry Middleton and his men could not take further advantage until the 66th minute when Ashley Jackson put the game out of reach.
“It should not have come to that,” said a clearly disgruntled Jackson. “We should have put the game away long before that.”
Gleghorne’s goal came when he was found unmarked in the circle with only the keeper standing between him and his second goal of the World Cup. His clinical finish was in marked contrast to the inept finishing of his fellow strikers, with Tom Carson in particular finding himself in good positions time and again, but unable to get the ball in the back of the net.
Malaysia were industrious, without achieving any meaningful result. Their quick, nimble play meant they were able to twist and turn through the England defence, but all too often the sheer size of the England men was enough to knock the Malaysian players off the ball and overturn possession. Hafifi Hanafi was the most unfortunate casualty of the physicality of the game: his diving attempt on goal saw him leave the field on a stretcher after he came into sharp contact with goalkeeper George Pinner’s outstretched foot.
For the first 20 minutes of the game Malaysia worked hard to overturn the England lead, Tengku Ahmed and Fitri Saari in particular were busy in the midfield; it was simply a case that the England defence stood very strong and the Speedy Tigers were unable to breach the final line of defence.
It was a penalty corner strike from Ashley Jackson that finally put the game safely out of Malaysia’s reach. Despite a hampering shoulder injury, the midfielder was able to find a way past Subramaim.
Speaking after the game, Pinner said “Every game for us is a cup final. We have been strong defensively and we don’t give away many corners. We just need to make sure we out the game to rest a bit quicker.”
The weather was closer to monsoon conditions, said Bobby Crutchley, referring to the first half downpour. The England coach said he was pleased to have won the match, and felt that the team had shown the patience and persistence necessary to win three points. “With each game we are growing and building, and now we have Iain Lewers back from injury, that will make a big difference to rotating the players.”