Nuraini's winning goal sees Malaysian Tigress make Olympic qualifiers
HANGZHOU - Nuraini Abdul Rashid was the toast of the Malaysian Tigress when she scored the winning goal to help the team to a 2-1 win over Thailand in the fifth-sixth classification match at the Gongshu Canal Sports Park Stadium today.
Not only did the win ensure the national women's hockey team ended their 2022 Hangzhou Asian Games campaign on a winning note, but it also handed coach Mohd Nasihin Nubli Ibrahim's team one of the four spots available from the Asiad this time to compete in the 2024 Paris Olympic Qualifiers in Changzhou, China and Valencia, Spain from Jan 13-21, 2024.
In today's classification match, it was Thailand who opened accounts, stunning the national team in the fifth minute with a field goal by Inpa Kunjira.
The goal woke the Malaysian Tigress up and they hit back to score the equaliser through forward Hanis Nadiah Onn, who made no mistake with a penalty corner setpiece in the 12th minute.
As both teams went for the kill, it was defender Nuraini who stole the show by popping up with the winning goal just four minutes before the final whistle to take the Malaysian Tigress to next year's Olympic Qualifiers.
Mohd Nasihin was full of praise for his players, who managed to keep the Thais at bay and produce an energetic performance to finally get the winning goal.
He is optimistic that the Malaysian Tigress can continue to grow as a team if they can get more international exposure.
He also took the opportunity to thank the National Sports Council (NSC), the Malaysian Hockey Confederation (MHC) and the fans for their solid support throughout their time in Hangzhou.
The national women's hockey team have never played in the Olympics since the sport was introduced in the 1980 edition in Moscow. - BERNAMA
